John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 342: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a contract will be signed between her Department and a resource centre (details supplied) in County Kilkenny in view of the work already undertaken to establish the facility. [40425/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Family Support Agency funds the Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme. Following the closure of a Kilkenny-based Family Resource Centre (FRC) in 2007, research was carried out to identify where core funding could be re-directed to another community in County Kilkenny. The research recommended that the town referred to by the Deputy was the area most in need of a Family Resource Centre. The centre was granted approval in principle for inclusion in the FRC Programme on condition that they work with the Regional Support Agency before a contract would issue.

Following approval the Regional Support Agency began pre-development work by liaising with existing local groups and agencies. A group of local people completed community development training and most of this group completed management training and formed a limited company and Voluntary Board of Management. The new FRC have submitted their 2009 – 2012 workplan to the Family Support Agency. A contract has not yet been signed in the case of this FRC. All contracts are dependent on the availability of funding.

The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes made a range of recommendations relating to the Department of Social and Family Affairs including recommendations relating to the Family Support Agency and its programmes. The Department will consider, as part of the Estimates and budgetary process for 2010, the Report's recommendations and decisions on all of the issues arising will be a matter for Government. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage pending the outcome of these deliberative processes.