Vol. 643 No. 1
54 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the new initiatives regarding the Gaeltacht and the Irish language he intends putting in place in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32616/07]
57 Deputy Enda Kenny asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount that has been spent of the €300,000 set aside to cover costs related to the preparation of the strategy to help the Irish language in the next two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32480/07]
59 Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the strategy to help the Irish language, which promises to support parents wishing to raise their children through the medium of Irish, is in conflict with the Department of Education and Science announcement against immersion education for gaelscoileanna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32485/07]
71 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if, in view of the promised dedicated civil servant to work on a day-to-day basis to prepare a strategy within two years to help the Irish language, that person has been appointed and if this person sought the views of the public on this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32479/07]
92 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when Fóram na Gaeilge last met; when it will meet again; the advice he has received from them to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32476/07]
94 Deputy Pádraic McCormack asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the deadline for preparation of the strategy to help the Irish language will be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32483/07]
98 Deputy Ulick Burke asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs about the experts on the strategy to help the Irish language that have been employed on a contract basis to advise his Department and the Government; the advice they have given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32481/07]
99 Deputy Jan O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will give a firm date for the publication of the 20 year strategy for the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32614/07]
189 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the new initiatives regarding the Gaeltacht and the Irish language he will put in place in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32763/07]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 57, 59, 71, 92, 94, 98, 99 and 189 together.
We have already discussed issues regarding the development of the 20 year strategy on the Irish language in my reply to Question No. 52. It was envisaged at the time of the publication of the Government statement that it would take up to two years for the strategy to be prepared. I am confident this target will be achieved and that the strategy will be completed by December 2008.
A report was published recently on the linguistic study on the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht. This report was presented to the Government and a decision was made to establish a Cabinet committee to consider matters arising from the analysis and recommendations of the report, and to agree an integrated action plan to secure the future of Irish as the community language in the Gaeltacht. It will be my intention to ensure that these processes will proceed in tandem. In the interim, my Department will continue to operate a range of schemes and initiatives, in conjunction with Foras na Gaeilge and Údarás na Gaeltachta, to support the Irish language in the Gaeltacht and in the wider community.
Fóram na Gaeilge continues to have an role in advising me on the proposed strategy. At a meeting that I had with the fóram on 5 March 2007, it was agreed to establish a sub-committee of the fóram to function as a link with my Department in the preparation of the strategy. This sub-committee met in May 2007 and again in early November. A further meeting has been scheduled for later this month. Among the matters considered was the appointment of consultants to assist my Department in preparing the strategy. I expect that a person will, in the near future, be assigned in my Department to assist in this work on a dedicated basis. During the course of 2007, my Department has been engaged in a public procurement process for the appointment of consultants to advise on the strategy. This process is nearing completion and I expect that consultants will be appointed by the end of this year. It is intended that the public will be consulted during preparation of the strategy, as public support for the process will be vital. With regard to the sum of €300,000 that has been earmarked to cover costs associated with the strategy's preparation, those costs will occur mainly in 2008.
The Government remains fully committed to providing every support to parents who wish to raise their children through the medium of Irish. The issue of the national curriculum and immersion education for Gaelscoileanna is one for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science.
I thought the Coiste Comhairleach and Fóram na Gaeilge had been amalgamated. Can the Minister clarify that? This all seems to be about postponing the issue. I know the Cabinet committee has been set up, but there are issues pertaining to the Gaeltacht that the Minister could proceed with himself. He does not need to wait for what emerges from discussions. He should consult with other Ministers about what their Departments could do to make Irish a strong community language in the Gaeltacht.
I welcome the Minister's commitment to seek public support. I have long said that, as the Irish language belongs to everyone, the more people who engage with the language, the more momentum and strength it will gain. Can the Minister proceed in implementing the recommendations of the linguistic study as it pertains to his Department?
The best thing is to let the Cabinet committee deal with the linguistic study. Since 1997, many things have been done to promote the Irish language in the Gaeltacht. Údarás na Gaeltachta now commits a fixed percentage of its capital to language based industries. It was also given much funding for the promotion of the Irish language, especially for youth clubs and so on. We have invested a huge amount of money in facilities in the Gaeltacht, which are very important for activities there and for the Irish colleges. We set up the campaí samhradh trí Ghaeilge. With the cúntóirí teanga, we put native Irish speakers into schools to assist children whose Irish is not fluent. The cuairteoirí baile scheme is operating on a pilot basis and the idea is to support parents in language issues from the time their children are born. We operate a scheme to coach children in sports through Irish. The growth of language-based industry in the Gaeltacht was well highlighted by Údarás na Gaeltachta in the awards ceremony on TG4 last Sunday. Many things are happening and we will do more next year, pending the work of the Cabinet sub-committee.
We are already involved in language planning in a number of communities, which is a big part of the linguistic study of the Gaeltacht.
Can the Minister elaborate on that?
Yes.
Not just now. I want to allow other Deputies.
Has the Minister had discussions with the Minister for Education and Science on immersion education for gaelscoileanna? If he has not, why not? This is a big issue for gaelscoileanna. The Minister for Education and Science has taken one view, but this Minister has another view.
We were promised a dedicated civil servant to work in the Department daily to prepare the strategy. Has that civil servant been appointed? When will he be appointed? Has any meeting taken place with Fóram na Gaeilge? A number of people have also approached me who want their court cases dealt through the medium of Irish. Has the Minister made any approach to the Courts Service on this issue?
That last issue is clearly laid down in the Official Languages Act 2003, so they have a right to have court cases heard in Irish, be they in the Gaeltacht or elsewhere.
Regarding gaelscoileanna, responsibility for education is a matter for the Minister for Education and Science. She made a decision on this matter, and as a member of the Cabinet, I support that decision.
On the appointment of civil servants, as I said in my first answer, that has not happened. It will have to happen as soon as we finalise the procurement process because we will need somebody to back them up. Until we have the consultants in place, it is not greatly important, although later it will be critical. The procurement process is drawn out and that is why last year I said it would take two years instead of one. I foresaw that these issues would take longer.
As I said in my reply, the last clear research by Fóram na Gaeilge was last March, but it set up a fochoiste on the strategic plan, which has met twice and will meet again this month. When I set up Fóram na Gaeilge the question was not what Deputy O'Shea said. It was not asked to advise on establishing such a strategy, but to advise on the advisability of having such a strategy. When we discussed it, we decided to have a two-step process. We decided to publish a clear and understandable Government statement on the headlines of Government policy on the Irish language. This was the first time it had happened since the 1960s. To publish a detailed strategy before we had all the headlines in place and publicly known would not have been right. They agreed with that approach and it is worth the extra time to do it this way. Ráiteas i Leith na Gaeilge is a clear statement.
In my area there are three or four Gaelscoileanna and a Gaelcholáiste. The parents are finding it difficult to match the education system and advance it through Irish. Is there a short-term solution, for example, grants to allow local communities to work through the education system to have Irish classes? In my area, successful Irish classes have been started in a small rural hall. We will lose momentum if we wait until December 2008. We will lose parents because they will become disillusioned about trying to apply the education system through Irish and feel they are getting lost. Are children losing out because of this? That is the most significant problem.
Deputy Wall has asked a valid question. One of the challenges we have faced in the past five years is the fact that Foras was on care and maintenance. There is a link between the funding we provide and the funding in Northern Ireland. It did not allow them to expand the programmes as I would have liked. We need the coalface programmes, whether RAPID, CLÁR or Irish language, that get to the people who need the services. I have always said the Gaelscoileanna should not be just a school but a community. We must particularly support parents. Even if they do not require fluency in the language, they should have enough to assist their children. With the limited funds on the Coiste na Gaeilge, we have managed to increase those funds in recent years but there is a high demand.
We provided much more money this year to Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge and they are producing books in Irish that are much higher quality and more attractive and that is important. I also established an Irish language DVD scheme for children because while children can get English language DVDs of suitable children's programmes off the shelf, one cannot get the books and DVDs in Irish. One of the advantages of modern technology is children probably learn as much language from the television as they do from their parents, and if the television is talking in Irish, children will absorb this quickly. We are trying to be innovative. The way Deputy Wall suggests we go is correct and I will work with Foras subject to resources to move in that direction.
Tá dhá cheist ghairide agam. Maidir leis an ghaelscolaíocht agus an tumoideachas, an bhféadfadh an t-Aire a chur in iúil dúinn an bhfuil aon dearcadh, aon bharúil nó aon tuairim aige maidir leis an cheist chonspóideach seo?
Rinne an t-Aire tagairt do choistí agus fochoistí maidir leis an Ghaeilge. An bhféadfadh an t-Aire a chur in iúil cé mhéad cruinniú a bhí ag an chomhchoiste den Chomh-Aireacht a cuireadh ar bun chun plean na Gaeilge a chur chun cinn? An raibh aon chruinniú acu, an raibh cupla cruinniú acu nó cé mhéad cruinniú a bhí acu?
Maidir leis an tumoideachas, is ceist don Aire Oideachais——
An bhfuil tuairim ag an Aire? Caithfidh go bhfuil tuairim ar bith ag an Aire. Caithfidh go bhfuil dearcadh aige.
Go bunreachtúil, tá gach uile Aire ceangailte——
Aontaím féin gur chóir an tumoideachas a dhéanamh, mar cruthaíonn sé go n-éiríonn leis na daltaí an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim ins na gaelscoileanna. The success is there for all to see.
D'fhreagair mé an cheist seo cheana agus níl mé chun níos mó a rá faoi. Tá sé soiléir céard é seasamh an Rialtais.
Tá an tír ag éisteacht leis an Aire.
Tá, agus tá sé soiléir.
Maidir leis an dara cheist a bhí ag an Teachta faoi——
Ach níor thug an t-Aire freagra ar an chéad cheist. Cad é a bharúil ar an tumoideachas?
Tá mé ag iarraidh freagra a thabhairt don Teachta.
Tá an t-Aire Stáit ag gáirí agus tuigim cén fáth go bhfuil sé ag gáirí.
Níl aon tuairim aige.
Níl aon tuairim ag an Aire. Mirabile dictu. Seo an chéad uair ariamh nach raibh tuairim ag an Aire.
Cérbh é an dara cheist a bhí ag an Teachta?
Anois a Aire.
An bhfuil sé ag iarraidh go bhfreagróinn é?
Tá mé ag éisteacht.
Tabhair seans don Aire freagra a thabhairt, a Theachta.
Chuir sé as mo chloigeann é. Céard é an dara cheist a bhí aige?
An aontaíonn ant-Aire leis an tumoideachas nó nach n-aontaíonn?
D'fhreagair mé é sin ar ball. Dúirt mé go n-aontaím.
Tá an t-Aire á chur ar an mhéar fhada.
Dúirt mé go n-aontaím.
Maidir leis an bhfochoiste Rialtais, ní raibh aon chruinniú aige.
Ní raibh aon chruinniú go fóill?
Tá an fochoiste curtha le chéile agus beidh an t-Aire Airgeadais ag déanamh cathaoirleachta air. Mar a thuigeas an Teachta——
Tá an t-Aire an-ghnóthach.
——bhí sé an-ghnóthach le cupla seachtain.
Tumoideachas? Ná suíodh an t-Aire síos.
Tá sé soléir nach bhfuil aon tuairim ag an Aire ar an tumoideachas. Last week, I launched an anthology of French and Canadian poetry in Waterford. It included 22 poets in the Irish language, which is encouraging. While creative writing is emerging from a language, that is a sign of the kind of energy——
Tá súil agam go bhfuil ceist ag teacht.
Tá sé ag teacht. Could the Minister enlighten us? He has taken the linguistic study and will examine it for 12 months but we do not know what he supports and does not support in it. He was tight-lipped when asked that question. What does he support in that report, or is it like the tumoideachas, on which he has no opinion?
I have tried to explain to Deputy McGinley that all Ministers are bound by the Constitution to a common position. There is collective Cabinet responsibility in Government.
We are not asking the Minister to divulge anything; we just seek his personal views.
Under the Constitution a person acting in a ministerial capacity cannot have a personal view but must abide by the collective Cabinet decision. A decision by any Minister binds all Ministers.
Would Deputy Ó Cúiv's personal view be stronger than her personal view?
I have explained it three times.
We still do not understand.
55 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of grants that his Department has made to the island communities since he took office; the cost of such grants; the number of grants not drawn down; the number refused; the reason for such refusals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32591/07]
As the Deputy is aware, my Department was established in 2002. Expenditure under the islands subhead of my Department's Vote from June 2002 to date is in excess of €61.5 million. This figure includes capital expenditure in the order of €42.8 million which was directed towards infrastructural works, such as piers, slipways, airstrips, coastal protection and roads. The current expenditure of €18.7 million over the same period was directed principally towards subventions for the transport services to the islands, including ferry services, air services and a winter helicopter service to Toraigh. This expenditure information is available in a breakdown on a county basis, which I am happy to provide to the Deputy on request.
As the Deputy knows, I was reappointed to my current office earlier this year. Overall islands expenditure in 2007 to date is running at €15.5 million, of which €11.7 million relates to the capital programme and €3.8 million to the current programme. The Deputy will also be aware that my Department provides funding for island development under a range of other subheads and programmes.
In the circumstances, the Deputy will appreciate that it was not possible to collate the detailed information sought by him in the time available. However, if the Deputy has any particular case in mind, I would be glad to provide the relevant data.
I do not believe the purpose of the question was to collate information but rather to see what impact the grants were having on the island communities. Are they making island life easier? Are the people living there enjoying the benefits of the Celtic tiger economy as the rest of us are supposed to be? Under what specific headings were the grants allocated, for example, tourism, recreational and community facilities etc.? What is the population of the islands that is being addressed? Are the numbers decreasing or has there been an increase in population? What is the Minister's overall view on ensuring island populations are good vibrant strong communities? What else may be done as regards developing the island communities?
It is good to hear about the infrastructure. The purpose and tone of the question essentially is to find out where the islanders stand regarding the mainland population and how they are developing their own communities.
When I initially became Minister of State with responsibility for the islands in 1997, two aspects predominated in terms of maintaining populations on the islands. One was the physical infrastructure. Some islands lacked water, others electricity while piers were a pervasive problem on virtually all the islands. Roads were also a major problem and so on. A substantial amount of money has been spent on getting the infrastructure to an adequate standard.
The other major issue at the time, after which enormous strides have been made, related to the ferry services which were totally inadequate for modern living. Islanders are no different from anybody else in that they want to get to and from where they live safely with ease, on a guaranteed service with a proper timetable at a reasonable price.
To put the Deputy in the framework as regards how things were, at that time the Gaeltacht islands had subsidised ferry services, but the non-Gaeltacht islands did not. Virtually every island with a small population, such as Long, Heir, Whiddy, Beare, Cape Clear and Sherkin, all have subsidised ferry services now. Moving up along the west coast, Inishmore, Inishmaan, Inishboffin, Turk, Clare, Inishbiggle, Aranmore and Toraigh all now have subsidised ferry services. I believe that was crucial. However, the requirements are now changing and employment has become a major issue. For that reason, I have arranged a dedicated Leader partnership just for islands, even though there are only 3,000 people there, because unless they have dedicated services we will not get the benefit of the infrastructural spend in terms of developing the population and so on. A fairly comprehensive programme of work is in hand.
To be fair to the Minister, he has done some very good work for the islands and I could not take that away from him. There are three islands in my constituency and the Minister knows that the number one issue for many years has been infrastructure and getting on and off the islands. What are the Minister's key priorities for the islands for next year? Will the Leader partnership for the islands promised in the agreed programme for Government happen? Is an island allowance in place at present and, if not, what proposals has the Minister for the islanders in that regard?
Islanders have a major cost factor to bear. People living on an island must come to the mainland to shop. They have to get their goods delivered to the pier and then they must pay to have them transported by boat to the island. There should be a substantial allowance if we are to encourage people to live on the islands. In any event, we must give them the infrastructure, back-up and supports they need.
Regarding the islander's allowance, there is €12.76 extra available per week for people on old age and invalidity pensions, etc. Regarding the Deputy's second question, the Leader partnership company is being set up. That is all arranged and elections are taking place at present. That is a major innovation. Formerly they had their own Leader company. Now they will have a Leader partnership and I believe it is much better to provide services from within to the islands.
The third issue touched on by the Deputy related to the major initiatives for next year. The substantial infrastructure programme continues. As well as that, I have arranged for Údarás na Gaeltachta, my Department and Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann to do a socio-economic study of the islands. We have to find out precisely how much extra it costs an individual to live on an island. If one wants to make a case for resources, one must always have the facts.
Regarding the figure of 3,000 the Minister has given, is that the total population of all the islands and is it decreasing or increasing?
It is an approximate figure. Compiling the island population is much more complicated than in the past because by Sunday night most people will have returned to the mainland. Therefore, one gets a smaller population than one would if a census were taken every day and divided by the number of days in the week. The figure is about 3,000 and is still decreasing on aggregate. However, the rate of decrease has slowed down. One of the challenges associated with turning rural populations around is the high number of old people who do not have families living with them. Even when one is turning around the population structure, one can still get an absolute decrease in the population. The big challenge, however, is the number of children at school and the number of people aged between 25 and 55 living on an island. That is the target group we must reach.
56 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views in relation to the most recent available report from the ESRI on volunteering, which states volunteering in the country is up from 17.1% in 2002 to 23.1% in 2006 and active community involvement is up from 21.7% to 29% for the same period; his views on the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32606/07]
83 Deputy Emmet Stagg asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the plans he has to increase the amount of support offered to volunteers to €5 million per annum; if he has begun to identify stakeholders within the community; the contact he has had with these stakeholders; the means he has identified as the most appropriate way to use this funding to further promote and develop volunteering here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32607/07]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 83 together.
It is certainly encouraging that the ESRI statistics show an increase in the figures volunteering and back up the findings of the taskforce on active citizenship, which reported earlier this year. My Department has been steadily increasing support and funding to strengthen volunteering over the past two years. Chief among those measures is the funding provided to 13 volunteer centres around the country with a further eight at an advanced stage of pre-development.
The Towards 2016 agreement includes a commitment of increased funding of €5 million per annum to support volunteering and the Department will use this substantial funding to further promote and develop volunteering in Ireland. The funding is primarily being used to fund the expansion of volunteer centres throughout the country, as recommended by the task force report. Expansion of volunteer centres to one per county will cost €5 million to implement.
The consultation with local stakeholders within the community is being conducted in a number of ways. The task force on active citizenship conducted a very detailed consultation with stakeholders throughout the country in compiling its report. My Department consults at national level with the social partners and in particular with the community and voluntary pillar through regular partnership meetings. The Department regularly meets bilaterally with national organisations and with volunteer centres to discuss progress and matters of interest. The expansion of the number of volunteer centres is being conducted in consultation with the local partnership companies.
I tabled this question because efforts on the ground did not seem to reflect what we were being told as regards the various organisations we come across in pursuit of our daily work. I should like to know from the Minister of State how the report was determined and how many people and committees were evaluated and where they were done. What was the urban-rural divide in this regard? On the ground, as I understand it from looking at committees, the percentages being talked about here do not appear to be reflected in reality. I hope they are, but it does not look as if there are many more volunteers on the ground now compared to 2002. In any organisation or association I am aware of, it seems to be a few core volunteers that carry the burden at all times.
During the consultation process on the White Paper on supporting voluntary activity, I understand a wide range of road shows were held and regional consultations took place. There was consultation with the primary voluntary stakeholders. The same exercise was carried out during the consultation phase of the task force on active citizenship. I am aware it engaged extremely proactively with all organisations, big and small, throughout the length and breadth of the country. Targets were set that an extra 60,000 volunteers per year would be recruited as part of the process of enabling volunteer centres.
The Kildare volunteer centre has an extremely proactive engagement with NUI Maynooth and I launched an initiative there a couple of months ago. Students from 60 different nationalities with people from Kildare are on a database and are available to get involved in voluntary activity. This is the pattern throughout the country. At present, there are 13 county volunteer centres and three are at an advanced stage of development. I expect the remainder will be rolled out during the lifetime of the Government.
People are busier but they want to support, help and get involved in their communities. The major problem is people are afraid that if they get involved through bringing children to sporting events they will be sued. Recently, the Law Reform Commission issued a report stating that the Government must introduce legislation to protect people doing work on a voluntary basis and that it is wrong for people to be sued for work they did on a voluntary basis.
Last year, Fine Gael proposed a Good Samaritan Bill which was voted down by the Government. What proposals does the Government have to introduce legislation to protect people who want to give voluntarily of their time to help and support their communities?
I cannot comment exactly on what legislative proposals there may be, but Deputy Ring raised a valid point about the risk posed to people in getting involved in any form of activity, whether it is voluntary or otherwise. Earlier this week, my Department funded 64 national organisations across a wide range of disciplines. This was to enable them to provide a range of supports to volunteers over a three year period, including training of volunteers, upskilling facilitators and ensuring the areas of concern are addressed.
It is important to encourage volunteering and have the supports necessary to underpin this involvement. On the international day of volunteering it is appropriate that we call on more people to make their talents available to their local communities. In return for this they will have a sense of satisfaction in contributing to the community. The Department has a wide range of grant supports. Deputy Ring's county is good at drawing down these grants so County Mayo must have a strong base in volunteering.
It certainly does.
Recent surveys show that 150,000 people leave home before 6.30 a.m. to go to work and do not return until 7 p.m. In instances where people must travel some distance to work, they do not have an opportunity to get involved in their local communities. Subsequent to this, their children will not get involved with clubs. That is why I was concerned when I saw the data stating that community involvement rose from 21% to 29%. In many towns and villages in Kildare and other places of which I am aware, this rise does not seem to be reflected. What is the Minister of State's view on this? How will the Department address these concerns?
The issue of commuting poses challenges for a number of people. In many ways, this was dealt with by newer communities in expanding towns in Leinster. One of the ways my Department will engage with these towns is through the young people's facilities and services fund and by providing additional facilities for communities, ensuring more people work with clubs and organisations.
We should not underestimate the resource of people who take early retirement. Recently, I was in Waterford and saw a large number of people who took early retirement from a variety of occupations, including the Garda Síochána. They have begun to drive many voluntary initiatives and this will develop. We commend that practice. The databases of county volunteering committees, organisations such as Volunteering Ireland and Young Social Innovators will be the enablers in local communities.
Question No. 57 answered with QuestionNo. 54.
58 Deputy Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if, in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government, he will outline the specific proposals he has to develop and strengthen the range of projects being undertaken through the local and regional drugs task forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32598/07]
During the term of this Government, we will continue to develop and strengthen the range of projects being undertaken through the local and regional drugs task forces under the national drugs strategy. In this regard, we will be informed by the work of the drugs task forces regarding the needs identified in their areas to tackle the problems associated with drug misuse. I envisage that the projects involved will continue to address issues such as prevention of problem drug use, appropriate treatment and harm reduction measures, rehabilitation and aftercare as well as supporting families and communities affected by illicit drug use.
Approximately 300 interim funded community based projects in the 14 local drugs task force, LDTF, areas in Dublin, Bray and Cork have recently undergone an evaluation process and the report on this is expected to be finalised shortly. The recommendations of this report will help to inform decisions regarding the future mainstreaming of projects to various agencies and on how the range of projects might be strengthened in the future. In the meantime, approximately €20 million is being provided in 2007 for the continued implementation of the strategic plans of LDTFs and to address emerging needs identified in the communities.
More than €14 million per annum has been earmarked for the full implementation of the strategic plans of the ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs. As one would expect, expenditure was low in the early period following the establishment of the RDTFs, but it is now building up as progress on the implementation of the plans accelerates. This year's combined expenditure will be approximately €7.5 million, an increase of more than €3 million on the 2006 spend. We expect this figure to rise to the full implementation cost over the next two or three years, thus facilitating the development and strengthening of the range of projects being undertaken around the country.
Furthermore, capital funding will continue to be made available through the premises initiative fund to meet the accommodation needs of community-based drugs projects in the task force areas. It is envisaged that such expenditure is likely to increase next year, especially as the RDTFs become more firmly established.
The Deputy should note that initial steps are being taken in my Department in the process that will lead to the development of a new national drugs strategy for the period 2009 to 2016. This process will facilitate the consideration of all aspects of the national drugs strategy and it may give rise to further development and strengthening of projects at community level.
I welcome the detailed reply given by the Minister of State. With regard to the projects he mentioned, the one thing we must do is consider the alternatives we can provide for young people who are attracted to drugs. What linkage has the Minister of State created through national sport and recreation organisations to develop alternatives? In many cases, we see associations going into large estates, cherry-picking the best young players and leaving many children behind. They are bored and have nothing to do and this is where drug barons can establish themselves. They can get youngsters with no recreation or sporting facilities available to them and who do not have an inclination to get involved in such activities. How many meetings has the Minister of State had with various associations on this matter? I realise the good work done by the task forces. However, we need to link this with initiatives taken by national sporting organisations. The two together can make a difference in providing an alternative to the problems which communities throughout the country encounter at present.
A key part of the national drugs strategy is precisely what Deputy Wall mentioned, namely, creating alternatives. This is being done, primarily through the young people's facilities and services fund which is an engagement with existing organisations. I do not want to provide another layer of development. I am anxious that we work with existing organisations, local authorities, national sporting organisations and youth services. I see productive work where this has happened.
As I mentioned, last week in Waterford I saw excellent work done through a collaboration between youth services, the local authority and national and local sporting organisations. In Dublin, boxing is important. The Neilstown boxing club, for example, has benefited greatly from collaborating with my Department and the local drugs task force on developing alternatives. I meet the organisations mentioned by the Deputy in the context of their membership of local and regional drugs task forces.
Approximately 30 sports and recreation officers have been appointed to drugs task force areas under the young people services and facilities fund and others have been appointed in RAPID areas. Their task is to engage young people in non-mainstream sports. Particular attention has been given to minority sports and young women, who are not great participants in some sports, have been targeted in certain areas. I believe in the value of engaging with existing organisations and we will embark on the roll-out of the young people's facilities and services fund for a range of projects in other parts of the country. On Friday, I will be in Carlow to open a new youth centre which was developed on a collaborative basis by my Department, the young people's facilities and services fund and the local partnership and RAPID programmes.
Last week's edition of The Sunday Tribune reported that drugs are available through the Internet. What proposals do the Government and the Garda Síochána have to stop this? It is bad enough that drug pushers are in every corner of the country but now drugs can be bought over the internet and received through the post.
Is the Customs and Excise being given the support and finances it needs to stop illegal drug smuggling along our coasts? There is no doubt that the Irish Coast Guard has never before found as many drugs but that is only a small proportion of the overall quantity.
When will a programme be established to educate young people in schools about the effects of drugs? We already have videos and tapes from sporting organisations. The issue should be part of the curriculum and videos should be shown in schools on the effects of drugs on families and individuals.
In regard to Deputy Ring's last question, an effective social, personal and health education, SPHE, programme is operating in every school. It is taught to junior certificate level and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment is now working on developing a programme for senior cycle. As I noted earlier, valuable programmes are being rolled out at local level and in-service training for teachers is being provided by the Department of Education and Science and the support team for the SPHE programme.
In respect of resources for the Customs and Excise, I am unsure whether the Deputy is referring to matters such as scanners but I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners and the Customs and Excise that the resources they seek are made available to them. They are working closely with coastal communities and ports authorities to ensure drugs are intercepted.
The report in the The Sunday Tribune is worrying. Classified drugs were ordered over the internet, paid for in cash and sent through the regular postal service. I have already had discussions with officials in my Department and the national drugs strategy team and we will meet next week to address this and other issues. I will not pretend for one minute that it will be easily addressed but it is a worrying development. I would discourage the practice because it is highly dangerous and entirely illegal but stopping it is easier said than done.
Written Answers follow Financial Resolutions.
