John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the role of his Department in supporting Irish emigrant groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37276/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The role of my Department in supporting emigrant groups has centred on providing good quality, clear and comprehensive information for Irish citizens wishing to emigrate and those hoping to return to Ireland to live. My Department ensures that appropriate and relevant information for emigrants is available by funding and supporting the various voluntary and community groups and organisations involved in that work.

In carrying out those functions, my Department works closely with the Irish abroad unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which has primary responsibility for policy regarding emigrants and their support while abroad.

In Ireland, Emigrant Advice is the main voluntary organisation disseminating information for emigrants. This year, I increased the core funding for this organisation from €100,000 to €150,000. That funding will enable Emigrant Advice to continue its valuable work in providing information and support to emigrants from their drop-in centre in Dublin. It will also enable them to update information publications for emigrants and to maintain their website, at www.emigrantadvice.ie.

In addition to Emigrant Advice, my Department provides grants to other organisations and groups disseminating information to emigrants. This year I substantially increased to €80,000 the funding for the Safe Home programme, run by the Mayo-based organisation dedicated to helping elderly Irish emigrants wishing to return to Ireland to live but lacking the means to do so. From time to time, other voluntary and community groups and organisations involved in information dissemination to emigrants apply for grants to my Department. All applications are considered on their merits and are subject to the budget allocation available at the time of application.

The funding provided by my Department to those organisations is in line with one of the main recommendations of the report of the task force on policy regarding emigrants, which was published in August 2002. The task force recommended that there should be close co-operation between various Departments and voluntary agencies regarding the provision of advice and information to emigrants. The increase in funding by my Department over the past few years to the voluntary and community sector involved in that work has enabled them to enhance the information services that they provide in preparing people for life working in another country and in assisting those who wish to return home.