iCARE core funding
Deputy Mac Lochlainn seeks core State funding for iCARE and other Donegal disability services that rely heavily on fundraising. The Minister says a meeting can be facilitated and praises disability service providers while urging the organisation to make its case.
iCARE, which is based on the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal, has been in existence for 24 years. It provides a vital service to children and young people with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities. Most of iCARE's funding comes from community fundraising. Along with Bluestack Special Needs Foundation in south Donegal, iCARE has campaigned for years for core funding from the State to allow it to continue to run services. It got some funding after a protracted campaign but not enough. Recently, there was an announcement of millions under the children's disability service grant fund. That was allocated to organisations, including those in Donegal, but those in iCARE had no idea there was substantial funding made available. Nobody told them and they are really angry, so I ask that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, meet with iCARE and Bluestack Special Needs Foundation to give them once and for all the core funding they need so they do not need to go fundraising every year to provide these vital services.
Comment on this
To be fair, the Minister of State is very accessible and I have no doubt she will facilitate a meeting, so if the Deputy wants to make contact with the Minister of State directly or through me, I have no problem in assisting with that and the case for core funding can be made by the organisation. I take the opportunity to thank all of the disability service providers in the country for the work they do, be they section 38 or section 39 organisations or neither of these.
We are very anxious to support them. The first step is to set up a meeting.