Written answers

Wednesday, 30 November 2005

Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Grant Payments

9:00 pm

Photo of Paul GogartyPaul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has ensured that past grant applications to Údarás na Gaeltachta have been rechecked, in view of the failure of Údarás na Gaeltachta to notice that one such application made in 1998 contained an incorrect address which placed the company in question inside a Gaeltacht area; the steps he has taken to ensure that grant applications to Údarás na Gaeltachta contain the correct details of the entity, including the address; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36772/05]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will appreciate that matters pertaining to grant applications do not come under my remit as they relate to the day to day operations of Údarás na Gaeltachta and are a matter for the organisation itself, within the statutory framework in which it operates and having regard to national and European regulations and guidelines. My Department's function in such matters relates to ensuring that the appropriate principles and directions in relation to corporate governance are in place and are being implemented by the organisation.

I understand from Údarás na Gaeltachta that no fresh cases have come to light where a grant was incorrectly approved by Údarás for a company outside the Gaeltacht. However, for the sake of completeness, I should mention that such an error did arise in a case originally approved by its predecessor organisation, Gaeltarra Éireann, in 1974, with the last grant payment being made to the company in 1987. The company is no longer in existence.

The Deputy may be aware that on foot of issues that came to light in the case of M & M Cairéal Teo, Údarás has taken appropriate steps to prevent a recurrence of such cases. These steps include the issue of an internal memorandum in 2002 emphasising the importance of identifying the Gaeltacht boundaries and setting down guidelines to deal with cases of uncertainty; ensuring availability of maps within the organisation detailing townlands and local roads, in addition to availability of copies of folios from the legal division or on-line; and updating of the staff handbook in regard to administration of grants.

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