Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has applied for or received any moneys or grants for the period 2007-2013 under the drug prevention and information programme of the European Parliament and European Council, which aims to build on the EU drugs strategy and action plans, the ultimate aim of which is to significantly reduce the social harm and health damage caused by the use of, and trade in, illicit drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19069/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has neither applied for, nor received, any funding under the Drug Prevention and Information Programme of the European Parliament and European Council, DPIP, for the period 2007-2013.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has applied for any Daphne I, II, or III grants from the EU Commission, which aim to contribute to the protection of children, young persons and women against all forms of violence and to attain a high level of health protection, well-being and social cohesion; if his attention has been drawn to any Irish application which may have sought his backing since the fund was established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19077/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Daphne Programme is a European Commission funding programme under the Commission's General Programme 'Fundamental Rights and Justice'. The first Daphne Programme ran from 2000 to 2003 and was followed by Daphne II from 2004 to 2008. Daphne III is the latest programme, running from 2007 to 2013.

The specific objective of Daphne III is to contribute to the prevention of, and the fight against, all forms of violence occurring in the public or the private domain against children, young people and women, including sexual exploitation and trafficking in human beings, by taking preventive measures and by providing support and protection for victims and groups at risk.

The programme provides for three funding streams. One stream provides for the Commission's own initiatives, while a second stream provides for operating grants for non-governmental organisations operating in at least 12 member states in the sector covered by the grants. The third stream is the one which is most relevant to Irish organisations. This stream provides for action grants to non-state organisations for specific projects to be carried out in a one- or two-year period involving organisations in at least two member states.

Applications for funding are made by non-state organisations directly to the EU Commission. Government Departments are not eligible to apply for funding under the Daphne Programmes.

My Department has had involvement in a small number of projects. One such project was the establishment and operation of the Irish Observatory for Violence against Women which received co-funding from my Department during the first Daphne Programme. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in my Department and the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit of the Garda National Immigration Bureau participated as associated partners in an application for funding from Daphne III by the Dignity Project in April 2008. The Dignity Project was a two-year research project into international best practice for services to women victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, which concluded on 7 February 2011. The Dignity Project was coordinated by the Dublin Employment Pact and the Immigration Council of Ireland with international partners from Klaipeda in Lithuania, Glasgow in Scotland and Madrid in Spain.

More recently, Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, an Executive Office within my Department, agreed to provide information for a project involving Women's Aid and the Immigrant Council of Ireland. This project seeks to build the knowledge base regarding experiences of migrant women and intimate partner violence in the European Union and to build the capacity of law enforcement and law centres to improve their services to migrant women. The project is on a reserve list of projects for funding under the 2009 and 2010 call for proposals.