Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the non-Governmental agencies or organisations his Department has provided funding to in 2004, 2005, and 2006; the amount of funding provided to each in each year; the number of applications for funding submitted to his Department in total; the number of these applications which were refused; the reason for same; the percentage of his Department's overall annual budget such funding equates to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27386/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The principal programme through which my Department provides funding to voluntary and community groups is the scheme of Grants for the Development and Promotion of Information and Welfare Rights. The purpose of the scheme is to enable my Department to contribute towards the funding of a number of nationally-based information organisations, including those involved with advice to emigrants. It also provides once-off funding to non-statutory information providers towards the cost of specific projects.

An amount of €1.142m, representing some 0.01% of the overall estimate for my Department, was allocated under the programme in each of the years 2004 and 2005 to 27 and 19 organisations respectively. In 2006 €1.362m has been made available to my Department for the scheme. Details of the applications received and the organisations funded in each of the years 2004, 2005 and to date in 2006 under the scheme are set out in the following table.

From time to time my Department administers special schemes of grants to support specific initiatives in relation to promoting social inclusion by voluntary and community organisations. In 2005, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland received €740.55 and €21,000 respectively for initiatives relevant to the E.U. social inclusion programme for community action to encourage co-operation between member states in combating social exclusion.

In 2004, an additional allocation of €950,000 was provided to my Department in the Budget for a special awards scheme for local voluntary and community groups to mark the 10th anniversary of the United Nations International Year of the Family. Under the scheme some 800 groups received once off funding for initiatives celebrating the role of the family. A letter will issue to the Deputy shortly with the detailed information requested in relation to the scheme.