THE TÁNAISTE has paid tribute to Irish charities around Britain while revealing a small cut in the Irish Government’s annual funding of their work.
Eamon Gilmore announced the details of the Emigrant Support Programme in London’s Irish Embassy today.
This year’s £5.4million budget for the programme represents a five per cent cut since 2012, when £5.7million was given to projects across Britain.
Announcing the details in London, Mr Gilmore said the funding “demonstrates the Irish Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting the work of Irish organisations abroad”.
“This underlines the value the Government, and the Irish people, place on the work that these organisations do on a daily basis,” the Labour Party leader added.
The funding supports 110 charities in Britain, with £4.2 million of it going to organisations that provide welfare services to the Irish community.
Some of the larger organisations to receive funding have seen their workload soar as a result of the British Government’s welfare reforms.
The London Irish Centre reported earlier this year that it has seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of people coming forward for advice on benefits.
Despite the small cut in this year’s ESP budget, it remains a lifeline for vast numbers of Irish charities in Britain at a time when local authorities are having to cut back on funding for local services.
Mr Gilmore also paid tribute to the contribution the volunteers who help Irish community organisations deliver their services during his speech in London.
“We could not have the vibrant and successful Irish community that we have today if it wasn’t for the people who give so generously of their time, energy and enthusiasm,” the Tánaiste said.
“Without these volunteers, many organisations simply could not deliver their valuable and essential services and for that I wish to add my personal thanks.”
Of the 110 organisations receiving ESP funding, 79 will receive less than £50,000. The largest recipient is the London Irish Centre, which was awarded £557,000.
Emigrant Support Programme funding 2013
[table]Organisations, 2013 Allocation Acton Homeless Concern,£46000 Age UK Hillingdon,£12500 Aisling Project,£94000 Bell Farm Christian Centre,£7500 Benefits Advice Shop,£4000 Blackfriars Advice Centre,£10000 Bolton Irish Community Association,£5000 Brent Centre for Young People,£18000 Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS),£138500 Brian Boru Club,£21000 Bristol Playbus,£2500 Causeway Irish Housing Association,£15000 Celtic & Irish Cultural Society,£18500 Connection at St. Martins,£18000 Conradh na Gaeilge in Glaschú,£36500 Coventry Irish Society,£118300 Cricklewood Homeless Concern,£159000 Cyrenians,£8000 Doncaster Irish Association,£3600 Emerald Centre,£59000 Emerald Circle Club,£3000 Emerald Senior Citizens Group,£4600 Emerald Sports & Social Club,£2000 Feith an Cheoil School of Irish Traditional Music,£4000 Felling Irish Association,£500 Forest Bus,£5000 Friends Families and Travellers,£15000 Golden Shamrock Club,£9000 Greenwich Irish Pensioners Association,£4000 Halifax and District Irish Society,£10000 Halifax Irish Centre,£1000 Haringey Cultural and Community Centre,£149000 Haslingden IDL Club,£4000 Hibernian Society,£24000 Huddersfield Irish Centre,£3500 Huddersfield St. Patrick's Day Parade Association,£4000 Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy (ICAP),£161000 Innisfree Housing Association,£30000 Irish Arts Foundation,£71500 Irish Chaplaincy in Britain,£222000 Irish Community Care Manchester,£155000 Irish Community Care Merseyside,£239500 Irish Community Services (formerly Irish in Greenwich),£215500 Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith,£140000 Irish Diaspora Foundation,£45000 Irish Elderly Advice Network,£92000 Irish Heritage,£7000 Irish Heritage Foundation,£40000 Irish in Birmingham,£201000 Irish in Britain (formerly Federation of Irish Societies),£455000 Irish International Business Network (IIBN),£30000 Irish Network Stevenage,£2000 Irish Pensioners Choir,£2000 Irish Pensioners Forum of East London,£3000 Irish Professional Network Scotland,£1000 Irish Repertory Theatre and Film Company,£6000 Irish Traveller Movement in Britain (ITMB),£110000 Irish Tuesday Club Liverpool,£7000 Irish World Heritage Centre,£28000 Kilburn Irish Pensioners,£2000 Lancashire Federation of Irish Democratic League Clubs,£1000 Leeds Gypsy & Traveller Exchange,£46400 Leeds Irish Health & Homes,£140500 Leeds St. Patrick's Day Parade & Celebrations,£9000 Leicester & Leicestershire Irish Forum,£36000 Lewisham Irish Community Centre,£52000 Lewisham Irish Pensioners Group,£6500 Liverpool Irish Festival,£7500 London Gypsy and Traveller Unit,£91500 London Irish Amateur Rugby Club,£7700 London Irish Centre,£557000 London Irish Music School,£2000 Luton Irish Forum,£95000 Manchester Irish Festival,£3000 Manchester Irish Language Group,£750 Mansfield & Dukeries Irish Association,£7000 Maya Centre,£20000 Milton Keynes Irish Centre,£11700 Mind Yourself (formerly London Irish Women’s Centre),£55000 Momentum Care Irish Elders Centre (Rehab),£50000 Monica’s Place,£58000 New Horizon Youth Centre,£38000 NOAH Enterprise, £72500 North London Action for the Homeless,£5500 North Wales Irish Society,£7000 Northampton Irish Support Group,£53000 Nottingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade,£6000 Over 60's Pensioners Club,£500 Oxford Irish Society,£3000 Passage 2000,£37000 Safe Start Foundation,£96000 Sandwell Irish Society,£31500 SanKTus (formerly Our Lady Help of Christian’s Welfare),£24000 SIFA Fireside,£15000 Solace Women’s Aid (Camden Women’s Aid),£40000 South London Irish Association,£3000 Southwark Irish Pensioners,£137000 Southwark Irish Youth,£6000 Southwark Travellers Action Group,£70000 St. Michael’s Irish Centre,£56500 St. Patrick’s Festival Ltd. Birmingham,£8000 St. Patrick’s Senior Tuesday Club,£5500 Streetwork UK,£30000 Tara Irish Pensioners,£900 Tricycle Theatre,£3000 Tyneside Irish Centre,£31500 Tyneside Irish Cultural Society,£14000 Warrington Irish Club,£6200 West Hampstead Women’s Centre,£6000 Young At Heart Luncheon Group,£9000 TOTAL (£),£5376150[/table]
