The funding will be administered through the HSE and will be used to carry out essential repairs to houses occupied by elderly persons living on their own.

The scheme was introduced in 1982 and since then over 85,000 people around the country have benefited from having repairs carried out to their homes.

Senator De Burca said, “I am delighted to hear of this latest wave of funding which will enable older people to live comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible, benefiting everybody in the community.

“Local HSE offices are well-placed to administer funding to meet individuals needs at a local level. Over €155 million has been provided for the Task Force on Special Housing Aid for the Elderly during the last 10 years. This proves the government’s dedication to helping older people in the community.

“This latest funding will ensure that all outstanding applications will be processed. Anyone with any queries relating to funding can directly contact my office. I will continue to work to ensure that older people in the community receive the support they need,” added Senator de Burca.

The EU LIFE+ Programme will provide €1.7 billion for co-funded projects across Europe to educate people on environmental matters. The Programme covers a range of environmental issues including nature conservation, environmental technology, community environmental policy and the communication of environmental matters.

Senator de Burca said, “I welcome this latest wave of grants from the EU to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage innovative ways to protect biodiversity.

“The real way to change attitudes towards the environment is to work at a community level and that is exactly what these grants do. Some project ideas include public awareness campaigns, projects to protect local wildlife species and green areas, environmental monitoring and innovative approaches to involving the community in policy areas.

“Applications open on May 15 and run until September. I urge all activists, community groups, schools and local authorities to discuss innovative ways to raise environmental awareness in their community.

“People can contact me directly with questions and I will work closely with groups to ensure they receive the funding they deserve,” added Senator de Burca.

In order to assist potential applicants, an information workshop, conducted by the EU Commission, will be held in the offices of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Custom House, Dublin 1 on 29 May.

Persons wishing to attend the workshop should contact: Brian Earley at Brian_Earley@environ.ie as soon as possible as places may be limited.

The renewable energy projects will follow the example of the town of Gussing in Austria where a renewable energy project has transformed the local economy, employing more than 1,000 people and supplying renewable electricity and heat to business, industry and homes.

A similar scheme has been launched in Ireland by the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Job Creation through use of Renewable Energy Resources. The purpose of the scheme is to create new jobs and employment opportunities in Ireland which will be good for the economy and the environment.

Senator De Burca welcomed the scheme saying, “I am delighted to hear of this latest renewable energy scheme which will create jobs and enable local areas around Dublin to become self-sufficient in terms of supplying themselves with renewable energy.

“Innovation is the buzz word of the moment and this project certainly seeks innovative ways to fuel renewable energy and create thousands of jobs throughout the country.
“A major component of the project is finding a site for a Solarteur School which would provide training in renewable energy technologies to students and skilled workers in the building, engineering and other sectors.
“While the Sub-Committee is not offering to fund the projects, it will use its office to convince the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to promote the development of these job-creation projects at the most suitable locations. Any interested local authorities can contact me and I will direct applications to the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on their behalf.

Senator de Burca said: “How is it that an Irish adult ten year passport costs €75, but a Spanish citizen can buy an equivalent Spanish passport for €17? In Greece a passport costs €26, while in the Czech Republic, a new passport costs only €22.

“Taking wage costs and administrative charges into account, there is still quite a discrepancy between passport charges in countries across Europe. Perhaps the EU should look at standardizing or lowering charges in member states, which would be fairer for all EU citizens wishing to travel.”

Italy, Britain and Denmark are ahead of Ireland for their passport charges, however other countries such as Luxembourg at €30 and Sweden at €40 charge almost 50 per cent less than Ireland.

The grants totalling €79.56 million for all of Ireland were announced by the Minister for Housing and Local Services and will be administered by Dublin City Council. The grants will be used by older and disabled people in the community to adapt their homes, making them more comfortable and accessible.                   

Local authorities around Ireland paid 12,094 individual grants to private houses under the schemes in 2008 and carried out works of adaptation to 1,323 local authority rented dwellings.

Senator De Burca said, “I am delighted to hear of this latest wave of grants for the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability.  These Schemes are vitally important in assisting older people and people with a disability to continue to live in their own homes and communities with the dignity that they deserve.

“More than 120,000 grants have been allocated to communities around Ireland since 1997. This has enabled over 120,000 older people or people with a disability around Ireland to remain living in their own homes and stay part of the local community.

“The benefits of helping people to live at home in their own community cannot be underestimated. This latest wave of grants proves the government’s dedication to improving facilities for vulnerable groups in the community,” added Senator De Burca.

Senator De Burca said that the funding, announced as part of a €3 million dormant account funding package, would help local groups to tackle drug abuse and homelessness in the community. The funding specifically targets people affected by economic and social disadvantage, educational disadvantage and people with a disability.

Local groups to benefit from the funding include the North Dublin City & County Regional Drug Task Force and Local Drug Task Forces in Ballymun, Dublin North East, Finglas and Cabra. Other projects receiving support include the Ballymun Star Programme, Ballymun Youth Action Project, Dublin North East childcare bureau and family support network, Kilbarrack Coast Community Programme, Millennium Carving and the Finglas Addiction Support Team.

“In the current economic downturn there is a danger that the benefits of local care and rehab groups will be forgotten. We cannot underestimate how important local groups are in terms of fighting addiction in the community.

“Such community help groups are well-placed to understand the specific difficulties faced by local families and to implement an effective care regime for local residents. Having such local support means that people suffering from addiction can be treated in their natural environment rather than being removed to a hospital or rehabilitation centre.

“This wave of funding must underpin a greater strategy to encourage rehabilitation in the community. In particular I hope this funding will support families affected by drug abuse who can in return support and re-engage with their loved ones who are addicted to drugs. By tackling addiction we can build a safe and inclusive community,” added Senator De Burca.

Senator De Burca said that the funding, announced as part of a €3 million dormant account funding package, would help local groups to tackle drug abuse and homelessness in the community. The funding specifically targets people affected by economic and social disadvantage, educational disadvantage and people with a disability.

Local groups to benefit from the funding include Ballyfermot STAR and Familiscope, Clondalkin Families First Team and CUMAS, Addiction Response Crumlin, the D12 Task Force, the Loreto Centre, Walkinstown Greenhills Resource Centre, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Outreach Project and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Community Addiction Team.

“In the current economic downturn there is a danger that the benefits of local care and rehab groups will be forgotten. We cannot underestimate how important local groups are in terms of fighting addiction in the community.

“Such community help groups are well-placed to understand the specific difficulties faced by local families and to implement an effective care regime for local residents. Having such local support means that people suffering from addiction can be treated in their natural environment rather than being removed to a hospital or rehabilitation centre.

“This wave of funding must underpin a greater strategy to encourage rehabilitation in the community. In particular I hope this funding will support families affected by drug abuse who can in return support and re-engage with their loved ones who are addicted to drugs. By tackling addiction we can build a safe and inclusive community,” added Senator De Burca.

Senator De Burca said that the funding, announced as part of a €3 million dormant account funding package, would help local groups to tackle drug abuse and homelessness in the community. The funding specifically targets people affected by economic and social disadvantage, educational disadvantage and people with a disability.

Local groups to benefit from funding include the Canal Communities Task Force, Whitefriar and Aungier Area Community Council and the Inter Agency Drugs Project.

“In the current economic downturn there is a danger that the benefits of local care and rehab groups will be forgotten. We cannot underestimate how important local groups are in terms of fighting addiction in the community.

“Such community help groups are well-placed to understand the specific difficulties faced by local families and to implement an effective care regime for local residents. Having such local support means that people suffering from addiction can be treated in their natural environment rather than being removed to a hospital or rehabilitation centre.

“This wave of funding must underpin a greater strategy to encourage rehabilitation in the community. In particular I hope this funding will support families affected by drug abuse who can in return support and re-engage with their loved ones who are addicted to drugs. By tackling addiction we can build a safe and inclusive community,” added Senator De Burca.

Senator De Burca said that the funding, announced as part of a €3 million dormant account funding package, would help local groups to tackle drug abuse and homelessness in the community. The funding specifically targets people affected by economic and social disadvantage, educational disadvantage and people with a disability.

Local groups to benefit from funding include the Swords Family Support Group, North Dublin City & County Regional Drug Task Force Training programme, Blanchardstown Local Drug Task Force, Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Blanchardstown Sibling Support Programme and the Fingal Centre.

“In the current economic downturn there is a danger that the benefits of local care and rehab groups will be forgotten. We cannot underestimate how important local groups are in terms of fighting addiction in the community.

“Such community help groups are well-placed to understand the specific difficulties faced by local families and to implement an effective care regime for local residents. Having such local support means that people suffering from addiction can be treated in their natural environment rather than being removed to a hospital or rehabilitation centre.

“This wave of funding must underpin a greater strategy to encourage rehabilitation in the community. In particular I hope this funding will support families affected by drug abuse who can in return support and re-engage with their loved ones who are addicted to drugs. By tackling addiction we can build a safe and inclusive community,” added Senator De Burca.

“In the category ‘Grants for Industrial Affairs and Social Dialogue’ 76 research grants totalling €13.8 million were approved by the EU for 2008. 29 projects totalling over €4 million were approved for research into Equal Opportunities. The European Trade Union Institute alone received €9.8 million, the Centre for Workers in Europe €3 million and the University of Essex €1.5 million for policy simulation.

“These grants are examples of research projects funded by the European Union in just a single category. Tens of millions of Euro are being spent by the European Union each year on research projects – projects that form the basis of sound policy making. Dublin’s share of all these valuable employment opportunities appears to have been a mere €76,000 to the Department of Employment.

“Dublin clearly needs more energetic representation in Europe to secure this employment. The funding is there in Europe, the expertise to do the work exists in Dublin in abundance, but what is missing is the energy and political will to bring the jobs home.”