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Hopes are high for Dion fund increase
By GRAINNE McLOUGHLIN
The Irish Post’s campaign for a substantial increase in the Dion funding grant from the Irish Government could be about to bear fruit. GRAINNE McLOUGHLIN hears Dion Committee head Michael Lonergan outline his hopes for this year’s allocation.
DIPLOMATS are not renowned for making rash statements.
So when Michael Lonergan speaks of his hopes for an increase in his government’s cash aid for the Irish community in Britain you sit up and take notice.
For as well as his role as First Secretary at the Irish Embassy in London Michael is also head of the Dion Committee — the body charged with distributing the funds flowing annually from Dublin.
And he is hopeful that the appointment of former Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen to the post of Irish Finance Minister means extra funds could be on their way to Britain when spending plans are announced next month.
Indeed he believes the forecast that the Irish community in Britain will gain more funding is promising.
He says: “I think it’s fair to assume that with Brian Cowen’s track record as Minister of Foreign Affairs it’s quite likely that next month’s Treasury estimates will be
favorable.
“He’s on the record as saying in the past that the only thing limiting him was his financial allocation so I’m quite confident the news should be good.”
But he is keen to stress just how much progress Dion has made since its establishment in 1984. Chief among the achievements is year-on-year increases in the size of the Dion fund’s allocation — largely because of its increased prominence on the Irish Government’s agenda.
“To be honest I think this is a great time to have my job,” he says. “In fact it’s a great time for anyone involved in the voluntary sector of the Irish community.
“It’s never been at a higher political profile in Dublin and there is a lot happening. There’s a lot more support and a lot more money.”
Dion is the Irish word for shelter and that has been its remit since the committee was established in 1984 — to provide shelter and support to the disadvantaged Irish living in Britain.
The £3million given by Dion last year represented a record level of support for the Irish voluntary sector in Britain. But it was still way below the level recommended by the Irish Government’s own Task Force on Emigration — a fact that has been pounced on by opposition political parties in Ireland calling for more support for emigrants.
But Mr. Lonergan points out the fund has increased considerably over the past five years.
“This significant growth is a reflection of the Irish Government’s recognition of the continuing need among some sectors of the Irish community in Britain,” he says.
“Financially we’ve done really well I think. We’re in a position now whereby the profile of the work has changed.
“For example in the past people came because they had to whereas now, with the Celtic Tiger and so on, people are more confident in wanting to come.”
The change means that although Dion funding is still vital for the Irish community the distribution has changed.
“There has been a much greater focus within Dion on the social deprivation of the elderly Irish in Britain, those who left in the 1940s or 50s,” says the First Secretary.
“In fact the bulk of Dion funding will probably go to organizations or charities that deal exclusively with the elderly.”
This will no doubt come as good news to most quarters of the Irish community. But what about those who feel they’ve been forgotten about — most notably as a result of their geographical location?
Does the Dion committee warrant the criticism that it has been too London-centric in the past?
“I think we’re all aware that there has been that criticism,” says Mr. Lonergan “But I don’t think it’s been the fault of Dion as such.
“Since Dion has been established only one organization in Scotland or Wales has ever applied for funding — which they received.
“But they didn’t re-apply.
“While I am quite conscious that we are slightly focused on the London area I think it’s fair to say that in there exists perhaps the biggest concentration of Irish people in Britain and so with that demand London will always play an important role.”
But in an attempt to address the problem one of the things the Dion Committee is planning is to form an outreach programme to foster more awareness throughout the whole of Britain as to what can be funded.
It is hoped this will encourage more people to take an interest and actually fill out an application form for funding.
The move comes as several members of the Irish community have voiced proposals for a re-vamp of the actual Dion Committee — making the Irish Government-appointed body more representative of the community. Others have backed calls for a so-called People’s Parliament — an elected body along the lines of the Jewish Board of Deputies to campaign for the rights of the Irish in Britain.
But Mr. Lonergan believes the body already reflects the needs of the Irish community in Britain.
He says: “The people appointed have a good background in the Irish community in Britain —either having been directly involved in emigrant Irish societies or having a vast academic background in it.
“I think the people appointed are reasonably cross-sectioned and they certainly have a good grasp of the Irish community and what they need.
“Several of them have been heavily involved in the Irish community for years — including the former Federation of Irish Societies Chairman Seamus McGarry and Jim O’Hara, who heads Irish studies in St. Mary’s College
in Twickenham.
“An elected board would present huge difficulties. For example who and where exactly is the electorate, how would they vote and so on?
“One of the things we do plan to do however is start rotating it a bit more. Allocate terms so that more people can get involved.”
As the exact level of this year’s Dion grant is awaited one recommendation made by the Task Force on Emigration has already been put in place — the creation of an Irish Abroad Unit within the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The unit’s remit is to co-ordinate the provision of assistance to emigrants to develop services to meet their requirements.
But how does the Dion Committee fit in alongside this new unit. Who has the real clout?
“Basically, both organizations are two sides of the same coin,” says Mr.
Lonergan. “The Irish Abroad Unit is based in headquarters in Dublin and their remit is basically to deal with the whole question of the Irish abroad — in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Britain.
“The Minister of Finance ultimately decides what funding Dion will be. The unit then involves itself in the allocation and resources but how the money is spent in Britain is a matter purely for the Dion Committee — that’s what they’re employed to do.”
So will the Dion fund allocation this year come anywhere near the levels the Irish community in Britain believes is necessary.
Mr. Lonergan says: “There’s no doubt about the entitlement of the Irish community — particularly the older generations.
“I know in the past they certainly should have got more money and didn’t but that’s largely because there wasn’t more there to give.
“However there was a huge effort made last year to address that and I think the very fact the money has increased so much shows a
realization in Dublin of how deserving the Irish community is.
“Even if we’re not in Nirvana yet, we’re certainly a lot closer to it than we would have been in the past.
“Even a few years ago, I don’t think people would have expected the Dion fund to increase so hard and fast.”
Which way will he go?
THE key to hopes of an increase in this year’s Dion grant rests on one vital element — just how much cash new Finance Minister Brian Cowen has to spend.
Some analysts say he may have getting on for an extra £1billion in his war chest due to a rising tax take and a slowdown in Government spending. But, predictably, the usually taciturn
Mr. Cowen has so far given little away.
There is little doubt Mr. Cowen has inherited a set of robust public finances for his first outing in next month’s spending announcement.
Even when the proceeds from the Revenue trawl of bogus accounts are excluded tax revenues are more than £800,000 ahead of target. Capital spending by the government is also running below target and even current spending may undershoot forecasts.
The general government finances are likely to be in balance next year rather than the £1billion-plus deficit forecast last December. It all adds up to
Mr. Cowen having an extra £1.5billion at least to play with in his first round of spending plans.
But will he want to use it?
His own recent comments suggest he may instead play it safe and try to keep the lid on spending.
He was at pains to signal the necessity for a tight fiscal position in the coming year despite the economy’s healthy showing over the past 12 months.
The strong demands of public pay, the health service, education and social welfare could limit the scope for spending elsewhere — especially if
Mr. Cowen sticks to his predecessor’s ceiling for current spending growth of 7 per cent a year.
And the new Finance Minister has also dropped strong hints that he is not willing to increase revenue via indirect taxes or new charges for State services.
Instead avoiding inflation will be a key goal — and with the economy growing by close to 5 per cent this year that would mean keeping a tight rein on government finances.
Mr. Cowen will also be aware that with three budgets to go before the next General Election, economic prudence now could pave the way for cash giveaway vote-catching measures at a later date.
Which way he turns next month will be vital not only for the Irish in Britain but also for the Irish economy at home.
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