The Equality Authority has sent a pre-budget letter to the Taoiseach in support of the community and voluntary sector which it sees as a vital part of our national equality infrastructure.
The letter, which was also circulated to other members of Cabinet, underlines the value for money which the Government achieves through the funding of the community and voluntary sector on top of the immense contribution which the sector makes in its own right.
In the letter, Angela Kerins, Chairperson of the Equality Authority, calls on the Taoiseach and Government to take a number of actions in the lead-up to next week’s budget, namely,
- To minimise the negative impact on the equality-related budgets of government departments.
- In particular, to protect the funding streams which provide crucial resources to community and voluntary organisations working in the equality area.
- To champion the use of the Equality Authority’s expertise by government departments to ensure that policies and programmes are equality proofed in these difficult times.
The Equality Authority sees the community and voluntary sector as an essential component of its recently launched Strategic Plan for the period 2009-2011 entitled Equality for All in a Time of Change. “Organisations across the sector offer innovative ways of fulfilling the equality mandate – including the pooling of scarce resources to maximise support for those at risk of discrimination”, commented Angela Kerins. “These organisations have a day to day relationship with people who may be experiencing inequality and must be supported”, she added.
The Equality Authority therefore urges the Government to avoid funding cuts which would reduce the capacity of voluntary organisations to continue to work closely with the Authority in responding to inequality and discrimination.