Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason he refused to meet a delegation representing community development projects in south Dublin which sought a meeting with him to discuss its support needs in the context of his plan to terminate contracts with the existing regional support agencies on 31 May 2008 and if he will agree to meet with the delegation. [20254/08]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to responses to earlier questions on this topic, in particular Questions Nos. 20, 27 and 41 on 3 April 2008 and Question No. 433 of 19 February 2008. As indicated, a key objective of my Department is to ensure that the skills and talents of the volunteers and staff of Community Development Projects are recognised and developed to enable the objectives of the Programme to be realised. To this end, Projects have recently been afforded the opportunity and resources to determine their own particular support requirements in addition to those supports provided and funded centrally by the Department. Tenders for centrally provided support will be advertised publicly in the very near future as part of the development of future support services for the Programme.

My predecessor met with the Eastern Regional Network, of which the South Dublin projects are a part, earlier this year. In addition, a senior Department official met with the South Dublin CDP Cluster in late April to discuss the situation regarding the provision of continued support services to all Community Development Projects. My officials are available for further contacts from the group if these are required.