Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 597: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department provides funding to An Taisce; the way such funding is utilised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4782/07]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 598: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to whether An Taisce currently accepts funding on behalf of other organisations, in particular an organisation (details supplied); the legal status of such an arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4783/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 597 and 598 together.

During 2006, my Department made payments totalling €737,710 from the Environment Fund to An Taisce. €726,358 of this was in grant assistance towards meeting An Taisce's costs arising from its involvement with a number of specific environmental awareness and education programmes throughout the country. A breakdown of the expenditure is contained in the table.

A further sum of €11,352 was provided to An Taisce through Environmental (Ecological) Non-governmental Organisations Core Funding (EENGO) Ltd., a company wholly funded by my Department as part of its general support to environmental NGOs in their activities to increase public awareness of environmental issues and to undertake initiatives to protect the environment.

No funds were provided by my Department for onward transmission to the organisation mentioned in the Question.