Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the cuts in wages and other funding to a centre (details supplied) in County Kerry will be reversed to enable the centre to continue its community projects. [7693/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The organisation referred to by the Deputy has had a contract with my Department's Community Service Programme (CSP) for the provision of a range of services for elderly people and those with disabilities in their own homes or in homes that are provided by the organisation. Along with some 315 other organisations, its contract with the CSP expired at the end of December 2009. It has since been extended to the end of 2010 on the same terms and conditions.

Under the CSP, the organisation in question receives a contribution of the order of €89,000 towards the costs of employing a manager and three full-time equivalents posts.

Of the 450 or so organisations approved to deliver services under the CSP, an increase of 80 on the 01/01/2009 position, contracts in respect of some 320 projects expired at the end of 2009. In the current economic climate, I am very keen that the current levels of employment in these organisations is maintained. However, given the reduction in overall funding for the Programme, I can only do this by abolishing the non-wage grant that was previously payable.

I have, however, provided a review process where an immediate examination of the impacts of the reduction in support to organisations is being undertaken.

Finally, it should be noted that organisations providing services under the CSP are required to develop non-public forms of income by way of charging fees, trading or fund-raising, as the programme is not designed to cover the full operating costs of supported organisations.