Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 435: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will confirm that the €40,000 grant given to a centre (details supplied) in Dublin 24 in 2007 for the purposes of enhancing community education projects within this centre, has never been audited or reviewed; her plans, in view of a clear commitment by her at the time that such a review would take place, to put in place funding for 2008 for this project, and specifically for the ongoing training and educational opportunities that this project provides for children and young adults who have fallen through the formal education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9162/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The project to which the Deputy refers received funding as an exceptional matter and on a once-off basis in 2007 under the Fund for the Development of Targeted Educational Responses to Certain Children at Risk.

In assessing applications for funding, my Department gives consideration to interventions already in place and supported by my Department in the areas concerned so as to avoid duplication of effort and resource. My Department currently supports 30 schools (6 post primary and 24 primary schools) in 6 School Completion Projects under DEIS, the Action Plan for Social Inclusion in this area. The 6 School Completion Projects receive over €1.5 million in total annually. In addition, a variety of other interventions in place these schools under DEIS such as reduced class sizes, appointment of administrative principals on lower enrolments, Home School Community Liaison, a range of literacy/numeracy initiatives, Free Book Grant Scheme, Meal provision and additional financial resources. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to support a separate initiative in an area which provides a similar service to the same target group.

As a condition of funding provided in 2007, the project has agreed to collaborate with the School Completion Programme in the area with a view to integrating their model in order to avoid duplication and to provide better coordination of services. An evaluation will be undertaken this year, with a view to determining how best to achieve this.