Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 829: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the work being done by an organisation (details supplied) in Dublin 15, supporting newborn babies and young children and the fact that the people using the service are predominantly immigrants who value the service as a means of connecting with the local community; his views on whether such initiatives are valuable for supporting the integration of immigrants into Irish communities and for facilitating their access to community services; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that the service may have to close or severely curtail its services due to a shortfall in funding of €40,000 in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11220/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of, and appreciate the work done by, this organisation on behalf of both Irish and non-Irish residents of the area. My Department has not provided funding to this organisation in the past and I understand there are no applications for funding on hand at this time. Services like these, which are focused on the inclusion of all communities, encourage integration and form part of the Government's policy on mainstreaming services for immigrants. In that context, any specific decision on funding must continue to rest with the appropriate mainstream service provider and must be taken in the light of competing funding priorities. I understand that the HSE has agreed to provide funds which will ensure that this very worthwhile organisation can continue to provide their services to the community in Mulhuddart.