Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 303: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the funding available to a club (details supplied) in County Kildare under the EU social inclusion programme 2007/13; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16191/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013) is a programme fully implemented and managed by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields. The seven-year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU-27, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries. The Programme specifically supports the following five policy areas:

· Employment;

· Social inclusion and social protection;

· Working conditions;

· Anti-discrimination; and

The overall mission of PROGRESS is to financially support EU Member States' efforts to build a more cohesive society. It promotes the involvement of the relevant stakeholders, including social partners and civil society organisations, in the policy making process and is particularly targeted at policy level projects on an EU-wide scale.

The EU Commission selects the projects to fund either through calls for tender or calls for proposals. Groups/organisations that are eligible for project co-financing generally receive a maximum of 80 per cent funding. They are required to make up the remaining 20 per cent funding themselves, either from their own resources or from funding received from other sources such as partners or national organisations.

In the case of Irish projects under the social inclusion and social protection strand of PROGRESS, my Department has been allocated funding of €75,000 in 2012 to support the matching funding requirements for such projects.