Deputy Michael Lowry received a commitment from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath in the Dail last evening to bring issues raised by him in relation to Tipperary Town to the relevant Ministers and have them examine their Budget lines to establish what opportunities there may be for the Government collectively to provide further support for Tipperary Town.
A funding package of €240,000 over the next 3 years has been allocated to the Task Force in Tipp Town to appoint a person as Social Inclusion Co-ordinator with the post expected to be filled by the end of April.
However a budget for the social incusing plan is expected to be a multi-million euro sum and to date no funding stream has been identified.
The Task Force made a presentation to the Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys last November to demonstrate the case for a multi annual sum to be allocated to tackle issues of intergenerational deprivation in Tipperary Town.
Deputy Lowry highlighted data from Tipperary town showing 40% male unemployment in areas of the town, high levels of welfare dependency, 36% households with a lone parent, high levels of disability and sickness with several key indicators are over twice the national average to underline the urgency of the need for multiannual funding.
