Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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187. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if certain correspondence between her Department and an organisation (details supplied) have not put the funding for or the work by an educational charity in Cork city in jeopardy. [45838/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The centre in question is an alternative education setting and caters for young people who have encountered difficulties in mainstream education. It receives cooperation hours and non-pay funding from my Department.

The centre benefits from an allocation of 6,000 co-operation hours funded by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science. This provides a considerable staffing allocation to the centre.

In addition in 2021 my Department increased the non-pay funding allocation to the centre by €100,000 which brings the annual non-pay funding from my Department to €177,500.

The correspondence referred to by the Deputy has not put either the cooperation hours or the non-pay funding provided by my Department in jeopardy. The centre will continue to be supported by my Department.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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188. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all steps will be taken within her remit to ensure that an educational charity (details supplied) secures a patron, and copper fastens the future of the educational charity in years to come. [45848/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The centre in question is an alternative education setting and caters for young people who have encountered difficulties in mainstream education. It receives cooperation hours and non-pay funding from my Department.

Officials from my Department are currently supporting the centre to identify a suitable arrangement with an existing patron body and will continue to do so until such an arrangement is secured.