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22/10/2013
Call For Clarification On Social Investment Fund
Alliance OFMDFM spokesperson Chris Lyttle MLA has called on the DUP and Sinn Fein to come to an agreement on the needs-based criteria against which the £80m Social Investment Fund will be allocated.
Mr Lyttle's comments come after a report by website, The Detail, reported that the budget had remained unspent due to a political dispute between the two main political parties. It is understood, however, that almost £400,000 of the fund has been spent on consultants.
Lyttle is a member of the East Belfast Social Investment Fund steering group.
He said: "This is an £80 million fund to help tackle deprivation and promote education, employment and health in our community and yet, as far as I am aware, two years on, not a penny has been released to projects.
"The Social Investment Fund has been hampered by a lack of transparency and information since its launch in March 2011 and there is now clearly an urgent need for the First and deputy First Minister to clarify what is going on for the benefit of the many community and voluntary sector groups hoping to make good use of this fund.
"While the DUP and Sinn Fein argue, many good community projects remain unfunded. OFMDFM need to communicate what is happening with this fund.
"It should be the responsibility of the First and deputy First Minister to help all areas of social deprivation regardless of background but it would seem the shared future rhetoric of the First Minister is already ringing hollow and projects across the community are in jeopardy as a result of an apparent insistence on a 'shared out' future approach to the social investment fund."
(JP/CD)
Mr Lyttle's comments come after a report by website, The Detail, reported that the budget had remained unspent due to a political dispute between the two main political parties. It is understood, however, that almost £400,000 of the fund has been spent on consultants.
Lyttle is a member of the East Belfast Social Investment Fund steering group.
He said: "This is an £80 million fund to help tackle deprivation and promote education, employment and health in our community and yet, as far as I am aware, two years on, not a penny has been released to projects.
"The Social Investment Fund has been hampered by a lack of transparency and information since its launch in March 2011 and there is now clearly an urgent need for the First and deputy First Minister to clarify what is going on for the benefit of the many community and voluntary sector groups hoping to make good use of this fund.
"While the DUP and Sinn Fein argue, many good community projects remain unfunded. OFMDFM need to communicate what is happening with this fund.
"It should be the responsibility of the First and deputy First Minister to help all areas of social deprivation regardless of background but it would seem the shared future rhetoric of the First Minister is already ringing hollow and projects across the community are in jeopardy as a result of an apparent insistence on a 'shared out' future approach to the social investment fund."
(JP/CD)
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