John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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1212. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department has invited a company (details supplied) to establish a new company and to apply for the community services programme funding administered by Pobal that was removed from a previous company in view of the fact that three directors on the board of the company were also members of the board of the previous company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46107/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, funding under the Community Services Programme (CSP) was withdrawn from the company involved in promoting Inishowen tourism at the end of June 2017 following a lack of sufficient progress by the company in addressing governance deficiencies identified in an independent report in 2016.

My Department did not wish to withdrawn funding from the service but could not continue with the funding given the issues identified. In order to progress matters, officials from my Department and Pobal have been working with Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP) to restore and maintain CSP funding to the tourism service in Inishowen. IDP has an established track record in administering government programmes and funding in Inishowen.

Explore Inishowen CLG, a new company, has been formed with a view to restoring CSP funding for the Inishowen tourism service. While there are 2 directors from IDP on the board of Explore Inishowen CLG, it is completely independent of IDP. The company has to develop an initial 12 month business plan which will need to be examined and recommended by Pobal to my Department before the CSP funding can be restored.

I want to confirm that none of the directors of Explore Inishowen CLG were board members of the previous company through which CSP funding was delivered.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.