Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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1451. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline his plans to address the problem faced by 26 voluntary disability and health groups who have lost their State funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32971/14]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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1472. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline his plans to reverse the decision which saw the Neurological Alliance of Ireland have its funding application refused on the grounds that the persons it represents were deemed not to constitute a disadvantaged group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33012/14]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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1474. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that funding for Deaf Village Ireland which funded the advocacy group Deaf Forward, part of the Irish Deaf Society, under the scheme to support national organisations has been reduced; when the funding is likely to be reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33032/14]

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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1477. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the position regarding the funding of an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33053/14]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1480. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to explain the reason all 11 neurological organisations which applied for funding in the allocations for the 2014-16 round of schemes to support national organisations were all turned down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33074/14]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1481. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to explain how he plans to minimise the impact on the thousands of persons who use the services of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, whose funding has been cut; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33075/14]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1482. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to explain how he plans to minimise the impact on the thousands of persons who use the services of the Huntingdon’s Disease Association, whose funding has been cut; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33077/14]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1483. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to explain how he plans to minimise the impact on the thousands of persons who use the services of the Irish Deaf Society, whose funding has been cut; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33079/14]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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1486. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that funding for Deaf Village Ireland under the scheme to support national organisations has been reduced; when the funding is likely to be reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33123/14]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1528. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will revisit and reverse the decision not to allocate funding to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association under the scheme to support national organisations 2014-16; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33774/14]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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1597. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the review of the scheme to support national organisations has commenced, as announced when he restored funding to a number of organisations; if the findings of the review will be published and outlined in adequate time before the end of the current funding arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34704/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1451, 1472, 1474, 1477, 1480 to 1483, inclusive, 1486, 1528 and 1597 together.

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. Applications for a new round of funding, which commenced on 1 July 2014, were subject to an appraisal process. My predecessor was anxious to make funding available to as many organisations as possible within the prevailing resource constraints and approved 55 applications for funding for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016.

While it was known that the existing scheme was ending on 30 June 2014 and applications were sought for the new scheme with no guarantee of continued funding, it is clear that organisations had become increasingly dependent on this funding. Against that background, I announced, on 18 July 2014, the allocation of bridging funding of €1.4 m to a number of previously funded health, disability and other organisations for a twelve month period, pending the carrying out of a review of the public funding of national organisations in the health and disability sector. My Department has now commenced a process of engagement with the Department of Health in order to advance the review, which is being undertaken in agreement with my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health with Special Responsibility for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability. The review is designed to rationalise the funding of these organisations to ensure efficiency in the use of public money and avoidance of duplication, while providing appropriate support to organisations working in the sector. Following on from the initial contacts with the Department of Health, my officials have now started the process of engagement with that Department with a view to provision of appropriate support to organisations beyond June 2015. It is intended to complete and publish the outcome of the review in due course.

This bridging funding in 2014/2015 is a once-off transitional arrangement and will enable organisations to plan for their future, whether with or without State support, such as that provided under the Scheme to Support National Organisations. Details of transitional funding allocations are set out in the following table.