International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

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� initiatives undertaken by community groups and others for protection of the
environment such other purposes for protection of the environment as may be
prescribed by the Minister in regulations.
Funding is allocated via a two tier process. It is allocated for use, within the
boundaries listed above, to the Department of the Environment. It is then down to the
Minister to pass individual applications for funding. Funding very often runs over a 3
year contract so that schemes periodically require authorisation by the Minister.
These are often informed by the direction the EPA are taking, for example a recent
increase towards research and development led to new funding contracts being
drawn up.
Provision of money from the Environment Fund is described below, as outlined by the
Department of the Environment in correspondence: 1119
29/09/09
Sections within the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government
may apply to the Environment Fund Administrator seeking an allocation from
the Fund for projects which fall within the remit of the Act - funding is not
made directly available from the Fund to individual applicants and there is no
mechanism by which applicants may apply for funding from the Environment
Fund. Where allocations to sections within the Department are approved, it
is up to the individual Departmental section concerned to invite applications
for projects within the remit of their sectional work area.
The requests from Departmental sections for an allocation from the
Environment Fund are assessed by the Fund Administrator and submitted to
the Minister for approval. Allocations are prioritised on the basis of their ability
to contribute to the purposes outlined at (a) to (m) [as given in the legislation].
If these allocations are approved it is up to the individual section concerned
to invite applications for their projects, decide as to the merits of individual
applications, set the criteria for awarding funding, evaluate the effectiveness
of the money spent , etc.
There is no limit placed by the Environment Fund Administrator on the
maximum grants available for specific projects. However, the various sections
drawing down funding from the Fund may put limits in place that
are appropriate to the grants awarded to specific local schemes/projects
receiving money from the Departmental sections.
The information available concerning the applications for the fund is limited, but
some can be gleaned from the Environmental Fund Published Accounts which are
currently available since the year the fund was established in 2001 until 2006 (Table
60-1)
1119 Department of the Environment (2009) Correspondence with C O Grady March 2009.