The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has announced that 14 refugee support groups will each be awarded a grant of almost one million euro to assist their work.
Each group will receive €880,000 which is available under the European Refugee Fund 2004. The groups which will benefit work with asylum seekers, promote the integration of refugees and support voluntary repatriation.
Minister Michael McDowell said the money was vital in providing support for refugees who had suffered torture and abuses in their homelands.
Grants ranging from €11,000 euro to €91,000 euro are to be paid out to groups in
Galway, Limerick, Kerry and Cork.
Advice centres, support services for women and pilot education schemes will
benefit from the grants. Voluntary return programmes will also be assisted.
The minister added that the fund would continue for a number of years with €114m available to all EU member states up until the start of 2007.