Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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669. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason for the withdrawal of funding which has caused the intergenerational learning programme for persons over 55 years of age to cease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3749/17]

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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678. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will confirm the withdrawal of funding for the intergenerational learning programme for persons over 55 years in DCU; and, if so, whether his attention has been drawn to the impact of this decision on older persons in the area. [4016/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 669 and 678 together.

I can confirm that I have not withdrawn funding in respect of the Intergenerational Learning Programme at DCU, referenced in the Question.  Responsibility for the operation of this programme is a matter for DCU.

The Government is committed under the National Digital Strategy to actively support people, including in particular older citizens, to move online so that they can reap the economic and social benefits of digital inclusion.  

To this end, I recently awarded €2.2m in grant funding, following a competitive call for proposals, to to provide basic digital skills training to citizens in 2017.  Under my Department’s new Digital Skills for Citizen Scheme which builds on the previous BenefIT Programme, classroom training will be provided, free of charge, to 25,761 citizens, in every County in the country.

For the purpose of clarity, I understand that a Grantee under the former BenefIT Programme partnered with DCU, among other entities, to meet its training commitments under the programme.  In this regard, digital skills training was delivered as a module under DCU's wider Intergenerational Learning Programme.

While this Grantee has been successful in receiving funding under the new scheme, decisions relating to the implementation of the digital skills training, including partners, are operational matters for the Grantee and not one in which I have a role.  Grantees are subject to compliance with the scheme’s and the terms of the grant agreement between the Grantee and my Department.

Details of the training classes to be made available under the scheme will be published on my Department’s website as soon as schedules have been finalised.  I am aware that 8 of the 15 successful Grantees have committed to provide over 1,000 training places to citizens in the Dublin area before the end of March 2017, with additional training to follow throughout the remainder of the year.