Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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484. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if an organisation (details supplied) has appealed a recent decision not to provide it funding for the coming year; when he expects an appeal decision; if his Department and Pobal will work with the organisation to have its funding reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31138/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The funding scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. A new round of funding was advertised for applications earlier this year. My predecessor asked Pobal to undertake an assessment of the applications received, given that organisation's significant experience and expertise of both the design of assessment criteria and completion of assessment functions. My predecessor was anxious to make funding available to as many organisations as possible within the prevailing resource constraints and he approved 55 applications for funding for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016. The Irish Deaf Society are not one of the organisation’s approved for funding on this occasion.

Pobal has put in place a dedicated team to deal with any inquiries from applicants and to provide detailed feedback. There is also an appeals process and Pobal has provided applicants with detailed information on this process. I understand that Pobal met with representatives from the Deaf Advocacy Service on the 10th of July last to provide clarifications on their recent decision in relation to their funding application. The Deaf Advocacy Service can submit an appeal in writing further to this meeting. No appeal has yet been received. In relation to the timeframe for a decision on an appeal, Pobal expects that it will be in a position to make recommendations to the Department in September 2014. As this appeals process is now live, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment on the funding process or on the application of any particular organisation.