BROUGHAN WELCOMES CE REVIEW BUT URGES FULL STOP ON CUTS DECISION
Dublin North East Deputy Tommy Broughan has welcomed the announcement by FAS Community Services that no services provided by Community Employment Schemes will be adversely affected pending the completion of the recently promised review of CE schemes by March 2012. However he has urged Minister Burton not to remove the €1000 per materials and training grant in the interim for renewed CE contracts.
Deputy Broughan commented, “Proceeding with the slashed Budget allocation of €500 per place material and training grant for CE contracts being renewed between January and March will however be a severe setback to CE programmes in Dublin North East and across the Northside generally.”
As he told Minister Burton in Dail Eireann before the Dail broke up for Christmas, Deputy Broughan believes the proposed €1000 cut per CE place will have a devastatingly negative impact on long established and outstanding community projects like the Coolock Development Council and Northside Centre for the Unemployed (of both of which Deputy Broughan is a longtime Director), Darndale Belcamp Village Centre, Moatview Fairfield Development Association, Belcamp Estate Steering Committee, Kilbarrack Community Coast Programme, Howth Sutton Community Council and over a dozen other very valuable community programmes In Dublin North East.
FAS Community Services has also indicated that for existing schemes claims for reimbursement of materials grants will be limited to €10 per participants per week. While the review is being carried out, Deputy Tommy Broughan has asked Minister Burton to also urgently revisit this decision.
Deputy Broughan was finally told that “pending completion of the review there will be no advances for training. Only training that has been identified and has commended will be funded. This approval must be obtained from the CDO. Any training that can be provided by providers at no cost to the project may continue to be processed through the ILP system. Training to meet statutory requirements may also continue subject to the normal approval process.”
Deputy Broughan believes those decisions are also disappointing for community groups and CE participants.
