Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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61. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount of funding she sought from the Dormant Accounts Fund; the criteria for the selection of projects to receive funding; the number of projects that sought funding from her Department; if there was a public request for submissions; and the details of projects that sought funding. [8350/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The DAF is managed through a series of annual action plans. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) is the lead Department for one of the 2016 Dormant Accounts Action Plan measures which provided €0.5m for training and supports for family carers at the end of their full-time caring role. The 2016 DAF Action Plan for carers has now been fully implemented. Pobal administered the measure on behalf of the DEASP, in accordance with their service agreement with the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).For the 2016 Action Plan, Pobal made a competitive call in early 2017 for proposals from national organisations that provide services to carers. A pre-application information meeting for the measure “Life after caring” took place in Dublin on Thursday 29th June.

Applicants for funding were required to demonstrate how the proposal meets the measure priorities. They were required to provide evidence of need for the proposal, how this will be addressed, demonstrate value for money additionality and demonstrate the capacity of the organisation in relation to their governance and financial controls, experience in management of public funding; achievements, management and delivery of projects.

The 2016 measure closed for applications on 26th July 2017. Three organisations applied, and following evaluation by Pobal were subsequently approved for project funding under the measure by my Department: Family Carers Ireland (€338,464), the Irish Foster Care Association (€89,593) and the Galway Hospice Foundation (€97,568).

Discussions with the DCRD, on the 2017 Action Plan, which provides up to €1 million for training and supports for family carers have commenced. I look forward to seeing how the 2017 Action Plan can provide further supports for carers.