CHAMBERS IRELAND will not receive Government funding until issues involving outstanding repayments in relation to three programmes are resolved, the Department of Finance said last night.

The Department informed the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Innovation in March that it nor its agencies should make payments to Chambers Ireland until outstanding issues involving three programmes were resolved.

The three programmes are Dawn, a diversity at work network programme which ran between 2001 and 2005; Prism III an e-commerce training initiative for business which ended in 2003 and the Competency Development Programme, a skills upgrading programme previously run by Fás.

Chambers Ireland has agreed with the Department of Finance a schedule of repayments in relation to Dawn and Prism III. In a statement Chambers Ireland said this agreement was being adhered to.

It also confirmed that it had commenced a process of arbitration with Fás on a contract that concluded in April 2010.

"Any end of contract payments due to either Chambers Ireland from Fás or Fás from Chambers Ireland are subject to that arbitration. Given that we are contractually bound not to comment on this contract, it is not appropriate for us to provide any further comment at this time," the statement read.

In relation to Dawn, €180,000 is outstanding while about €20,000 is outstanding regarding Prism III, a chambers spokeswoman confirmed.