To ask the Minister of Education what formal or informal consultation was undertaken by her Department before the decision was taken to cut the community relations budget.

Existing Community Relations funding schemes were terminated on 31 March 2010. In letters dated 25 March 2009 and 3 August 2009 to the ELBs, Youth Council and 26 core funded groups, the Department stated the intention to introduce a new policy and to notify organisations that the current allocation of funding would cease. As part of this process informal consultation was undertaken by officials with the organisations concerned.

(ii) Dá bharr sin, ba chóir nach gcuirfí isteach ar aon tionscadail a fuair cistiú faoi scéimeanna roimhe seo. Fuair gach eagraíocht atá i dtreis rabhadh dóthanach chun tionscadail reatha a chur i gcrích nó sruthanna malartacha cistithe a fháil.

(ii) Consequently, there should be no projects that received funding under the previous schemes that should be affected. All affected organisations had sufficient notice to bring existing projects to a conclusion or to seek alternative funding streams.