DICP to appeal withdrawal of funding

THE BOARD of the Dublin Inner City Partnership (DICP) is to appeal the withdrawal of funding by State funding body Pobal, in an attempt to stop the closure of the organisation which supports disadvantaged communities.

Despite suffering high-profile losses through the resignations of its chairwoman Prof Joyce O’Connor, and members, city councillor Mannix Flynn, Impact assistant general secretary Denis Calnan and Dr Noel O’Connor of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the board yesterday decided not to disband the organisation.

It has, however, put staff on protective notice, pending the outcome of the appeal which will be lodged with Pobal in the coming days.

Pobal stopped funding DICP because it said it uncovered “serious issues” with the organisation’s management of public funds. These included the payment of “top-ups” to staff in excess of the maximum salaries permitted by Pobal. The top-ups paid in 2008 ranged from €5,144 to €9,552, according to an audit conducted by Pobal.

The remaining board members would not comment yesterday. However, Siptu organiser Gerry Flanagan, who represents staff at DICP, met with the board yesterday and said the union supports the decision to appeal.

The issue of staff salaries being in excess of Pobal rates was a red herring according to Mr Flanagan.

“The suggestion that people were receiving top-ups to their salaries is ludicrous. There were no top-ups. Since DICP was established staff have been on agreed pay scales with their employers and the public funders were aware that there was a differential between those scales and the Pobal funding.”

Pobal, as the main public funder, was aware of the pay scales of DICP staff, set by DICP, yet continued to fund the organisation which has been in existence for 19 years, Mr Flanagan said.

The pay of staff has recently been reduced, but this was due to a cut in funding, and not because the organisation was accepting there had been any wrongdoing, he said.

“The appeal will address the salaries issue and the board is of the opinion that the appeal will be successful,” he said.