A radical shake-up in the way community services are delivered across the State will take place by the end of the year, Minister for Community Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said yesterday.
Speaking at the annual conference of 38 partnership companies in Dublin, Mr Ó Cuív gave examples of the inequities of the system: "Currently, if you live in Blanchardstown, for example, and are unemployed, a lone parent, a person with a disability, a Traveller, or facing economic hardship, your local partnership company can offer you a range of services.
"However, if you live in a council housing estate in Howth or Lucan and your community needs those services just as much, it's just bad luck, because there is no local partnership for you."
The changes, to be implemented by January 2007, will affect services for disadvantaged people in urban and rural Ireland.
They will ensure that all areas of the State will in future be covered by services for the disadvantaged through partnership companies, ensuring that every citizen and every community needing support will be eligible for assistance.
In addition, programmes for the period 2007-2013 will address new and emerging challenges such as immigration; and in rural areas a more co-ordinated service for communities is planned.
The rural development programme Leader, the Rural Social Scheme and the partnership services (known as the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme) will be delivered by the one company in each area.
