Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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442. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to a recent submission from an organisation (details supplied) if he will agree to a 25% restoration of funding to restore the core funding of local Traveller organisations to 2008 levels. [35475/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, funding is provided across a range of Government Departments to support and address the specific needs of the Traveller and Roma Communities and all of the relevant Departments have their own specific budgetary supports in place.

In 2022, my own Department is providing just over €5.6m to provide core funding to a number of NGOs and to progress actions under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. A further €880,000 was secured from Dormant Account Funds to support Traveller and Roma initiatives. This represents a total increase of €914,000 over the 2021 allocation, which enabled a 3% increase in core grant funding to a number of NGOs, including to the group mentioned by the Deputy in 2022. My Department is providing over €1.6m to this group in 2022.   I note the increase sought by this network but remind the Deputy that it is premature at this point to speculate as to any increase that might be provided as part of Budget 2023.