Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount of funding he has allocated through the grant programmes operated by his Department to each constituency for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5586/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department administers and delivers a wide range of programmes and measures, descriptions of which are available on its website at www.pobail.ie. While expenditure under these programme areas takes place countrywide, it is not possible to give a constituency breakdown of that expenditure. For example, a number of my Department's programmes are delivered through agencies and other intermediary bodies that operate across constituencies and these bodies do not provide the Department with a detailed breakdown of expenditure on a constituency basis. In addition, groups and organisations that receive grants directly from my Department are not necessarily constituted on a single constituency basis.

In view of the wide range of my Department's schemes and programmes and the large volumes of applications received thereunder on an ongoing basis, I am satisfied that the work involved in compiling and collating a full constituency-by-constituency breakdown of expenditure would exceed the information value of such statistics. If, however, the Deputy would like specific information in relation to a particular county and/or scheme, I would be glad to arrange to have consideration given to any such request.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Feis Ceoil is urgently seeking subventive arrangements to secure its future; and if he will make funding available to this end. [5438/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I have no Ministerial responsibility in relation to funding of initiatives such as this. I understand that funding was in the past provided to the Feis by the Arts Council.