Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 15 May 1985

Vol. 108 No. 5

International Youth Year: Motion.

Mr. Deenihan

I move:

That Seanad Éireann takes note of the designation of 1985 as International Youth Year; welcomes it for highlighting the needs and abilities of youth and commends the Government on their policy of facilitating the fullest possible development of our young people.

I welcome the opportunity to bring this motion on International Youth Year before the House. The United Nations has designated 1985 as International Youth Year with its three themes of participation, development and peace. These offer suggestions for debate and development in planning for the future of our young people. These three issues have never been more relevant to the needs of our nation and to our young people in particular. Recent surveys have suggested a strong antipathy towards politicians among young people and perhaps a similar attitude to the political process itself. This trend is indeed worrying, and we politicians must seriously analyse our own behaviour and actions. Our political behaviour should always be motivated towards the national interest and must never be for party advantage and worse still for personal self interest. If politicians fail to give the lead then we cannot blame young people if they feel disillusioned and opt out of involvement in society.

On the theme of participation I would like to emphasise that young people must get every encouragement to involve themselves in their local communities, local youth clubs, sports organisations, local voluntary organisations, environmental and cultural groups. Such involvement would present and foster an attitude of respect of the democratic process. Furthermore the benefits in personal development are numerous.

Participation in education and training must be increased, particularly for those who are disadvantaged. Research has shown that the length of time spent in the education system is positively related to employment. The range of training offered by AnCO, CERT, ACOT, the National Manpower Service, the Department of Labour and the Youth Employment Agency is very extensive. Approximately 15,400 people participated in such schemes in 1984. However, we must look for increased participation in these services and this may mean a change in the format of the services and in the type of education and training being provided.

I would like to refer to participation in leisure activities and the powerful influence such involvement can have for many young people. I am concerned that many young people may shy away from competitive sports for a number of reasons. However, I feel that competitive outdoor pursuits have a strong influence on young people, and as a contribution to International Youth Year I will continue to urge the development of outdoor pursuit centres. It has been found that about 68 per cent of young people participate regularly in outdoor activities. These tend to be male, teenaged, single and at school. In such centres young people and adults have scope for enjoyment and relaxation and will get a deep appreciation of the environment. For example, recently young people from Tarbert Comprehensive School, County Kerry, where I was a member of the teaching staff before entering politics, reacted very positively and favourably following a visit to Cappanalea Outdoor Activity Centre at Caragh Lake in Killorglin. They were at one in stating that it was the most enjoyable and significant experience of their lives.

I would like to thank the Minister of State, who is present here tonight, for sanctioning a substantial grant towards the staffing of Cappanelea. However, I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister of State to allow the manager the freedom of choosing his own personnel for the running of the centre because it needs trained personnel, not just ordinary youth workers. If the Department of Labour stick to the requirements the people in charge will not be able to take on the type of personnel that are suitable for employment in the centre.

I was rather shocked to discover, during a recent visit to the centre, that equipment such as wetsuits, canoes, raingear and other equipment that is used in the centre were, through usage, disintegrating and falling apart. These have not been replaced since 1980, and a centre that has attracted so much attention and support from young people should not lack such servicing. I would like to urge the Minister for Education, maybe through the office of the Minister of State, to sanction immediately some aid for the replacement of existing equipment there as a gesture for International Youth Year and as a recognition of the effort that is being put in by the manager, Mr. O'Dowd and his co-workers.

The most popular spare time activities for young people are, sport, 48 per cent; reading, 25 per cent, watching TV, 23 per cent. However, a recent survey carried out in Waterford city found that 47 per cent of young people felt that the local youth services had no role to play in tackling youth problems. Organised youth activities and clubs are only attractive to about 32 per cent of the youth population. It is imperative then that we create opportunities for a much larger number to participate in leisure free time activities.

As regards political involvement, a minority of young people are involved in the party political process. This is unfortunate though not surprising as it is through such involvement that real change can be brought about in society. We should consider how best to engage young people in the political process in Ireland. We might consider inviting young people to address us or at least advise us from time to time. I must say that the two main political parties are making every effort possible in this respect. I would like to commend our own party for the way Young Fine Gael have been allowed to develop. We should encourage our political parties to be more positive towards young people and to involve them in party matters.

However, I am not pessimistic. It has been my experience that various international youth committees throughout the country have been very successful in harnessing the involvement of young people in their own communities. To illustrate this I would like to refer to the local international youth committee in Listowel which has done tremendous work in a short space of time. A laundry service has been set up for old people. Various events have been successfully organised. A very significant series of seminars on job creation has recently been completed. Many of the members of this committee have not previously been active in community organisations. I would hope now that their commitment and willingness to participate will not be lost to the community. I would also like to urge the Minister to sanction a teamwork grant towards the cost of running the laundry for this particular group. He might take note of it. The involvement of so many young adults who have not been actively involved in community affairs before is the most remarkable aspect of International Youth Year. An abundance of talent is being awakened which will bear fruit for many years to come.

The level of unemployment among young people is, undoubtedly, a cause of concern in the communities in Ireland. It is now running at a rate of 18 per cent to 20 per cent of the youth labour force or approximately 70,000 people. This figure is frightening and must be regarded as being a potential time bomb. The vast majority of unemployed people are desperately anxious to obtain employment. Consideration must be given to helping the young unemployed overcome the frustration and boredom that comes with unemployment. I, therefore, welcome the introduction of the new scheme and the Teamwork scheme for people under 25 years of age.

The range of opportunities for employing young people is unlimited, especially when one considers that so much work needs to be undertaken. These schemes obviously will not solve the youth unemployment problem, but the benefits to society in general and to the young people themselves could be significant.

As regards the theme of development, there is no doubt the development of young people by increasing participation in a wide range of social, personal, economic, cultural and political activities is essential. If we are to gain from the size of our youth population and if we are to avoid the creation of a dependent and disillusioned time bomb, each avenue of development should be explored and exploited in order to give young people the opportunity of exercising freedom and responsibility while increasing their life experience and building up positive relationships and ideals. It is highly significant that the International Youth Policy Committee should have issued its final report in 1985 as a very important part of the Government's response to International Youth Year. Its very recommendation that a comprehensive international youth service be initiated is crucial to the out-of-school development of the young people of Ireland. The greatest contribution the Government could make in International Youth Year would be to launch an international youth service. I would like to ask the Minister here tonight to urge the Government to implement this as quickly as possible.

The third theme of International Youth Year is peace, peace among the people of the world, peace within countries, peace within the communities. Young people must be encouraged to respect old people and to condemn any form of violence be it political or any other form of violence. It is hardly necessary to spell this out in great detail in Ireland but we should be building the blocks of tomorrow, tomorrow's peace, with the young people of today. Prejudice and mistrust among communities are the hallmarks of conflict and must be rooted out from the minds of our young and not so young people. It is adults who instil perverse attitudes in our young people. We must show the way. All young people must be encouraged by adults to have a greater sense of pride in their communities and a respect for their environment. a very positive sense of patriotism should be instilled within our curriculum process in the schools. Young people should be taught that self-sacrifice is very important if we are to survive as a nation. Of course, if this example is not forthcoming from the politicians, it is very hard to expect young people to behave in this manner. This can only be achieved by involving young people to a greater degree in community affairs and promoting many different types of schemes.

I would like to welcome the Government's support and their commitment to International Youth Year. A sum of £240,000 has been provided for the International Youth Year Committee. Individual projects initiated in response to International Youth Year, such as the ones I have mentioned in Listowel, are being funded from the teamwork scheme, and I understand the Minister of State is making an announcement on the amount of money that will be allocated towards these very soon. The Government will also be launching the President's award scheme at the end of the year in conjunction with private businesses. I would like to point out also that even before the United Nations called for a serious response from the Government to International Youth Year, our Government had already responded positively by establishing an International Youth Policy Committee. We have already discussed their report at some length in this House. I would now urge the Government, as I have said already, to implement the recommendation of the committee that a comprehensive international youth service be initiated as soon as possible.

Also, I would like to point out that the passing of the Age of Majority Bill and the introduction shortly of the Children's Care and Protection Bill and the Status of Children Bill are positive signs of the Government's commitment to right the disadvantages from which certain young people suffer.

Finally, I hope that International Youth Year will create an atmosphere of support, trust and recognition for our young people who will be the leaders, legislators, parents, workers and citizens of tomorrow. I would like to thank the Minister of State for coming here tonight and for his commitment to the youth of the country and to International Youth Year in Particular.

Mr. Howlin

I second the motion. I have much pleasure in coming into the House and addressing myself to this motion. I had the privilege last night of speaking at the annual general meeting of the Ferns Diocesan Youth Service. The FDYS, as the Minister of State will be familiar with, is the co-ordinating body of some 30 youth clubs and youth groups in County Wexford. It was a very stimulating and interesting task for me to be present. I cite them as an example of the work done under the Minister of State and under this Government and the vision they have brought to the development of youth services and the facilitating of future citizens of this country. It was very stimulating to see the array of topics being tackled by young people now.

A few very important pointers to the commitment of this Government were underlined to me last night. One was that 12 months ago the Ferns diocesan youth service had one full-time worker and three part-time workers. They now have 13 full-time workers, they have opened offices in all the major towns in the county where heretofore they were restricted to a base in Wexford town. This sort of development in a single year underlined the thrust of Government policy, the support of the Minister of State and the enthusiasm of young people to care for one another and to involve themselves in the issues facing us as a people and as a nation.

There are various subcommittees that address themselves to the topics that confront young people. I was stimulated to find discussions under such headings as international affairs, whereby they involve themselves in informing young people throughout the county of the problems of the Third World, the divide between North and South, the inequality inherent in the economic order, and I think the commitment and the enthusiasm of young people for bringing about peace will be a force for change and development in the country.

It is quite clear that we are in a state of flux as a nation. There are major challenges facing young people, foremost probably the need for employment. There is a growing realisation among young people that they have to face that challenge themselves to provide for themselves. There was a feeling for many years that they could look always to the State to provide for their needs and there was a clamour always to central Government: if you needed something, it must be provided from on high. A realisation has dawned on people — young people in particular — that their best way forward is self-help and co-operation. In that spirit it is so encouraging to see them involve themselves in groups like the youth employment schemes. Youth employment schemes have been established in various centres throughout the country and their objective is to establish employment schemes directly themselves to employ young people.

The initiative of Coalition Governments in recent years in the area of youth affairs is very relevant to the motion under discussion and the development of the Youth Employment Agency and various schemes under it. The three objectives of the International Youth Year are participation, development and peace. Obviously, they are three very important aims. It is quite clear that there is participation and that many thousands of young people are involving themselves in clubs, activities and in community support. Development, hopefully, is on the cards. I concur with the proposer of the motion when he says that the report we debated in this House recently must be implemented. Several reports have been produced over the years and have lain on shelves. It is important that this report and all its recommendations be implemented by Government.

Finally, I concur with the mover of the motion in complimenting the Minister for the way he has taken the task of youth affairs which, I think, for many years has been a sideline issue and certainly not one — although we always paid lip service to it — that was high on the agenda of politics. In recognition of the balance of population in this country, he has brought it to the centre of the stage, and I compliment him on that. It is a privilege to second the motion.

Mr. Fitzsimons

As speakers have said, we had a debate here in January and February of this year on the final report of the National Youth Policy Committee. That covered very well the subject matter of this motion on the agenda today. Since then I cannot think of anything that has happened that would justify a further debate of this kind. The most generous thing I can say about it is that there has been no improvement. The motion refers to the fullest possible development. I always looked on development in the positive sense, the development of talents and so on, but we have young people in crime who are developing in certain ways but not in ways that we would want them to develop.

I question that two young Senators, Senators Jimmy Deenihan and Jim Higgins, could uncritically congratulate and commend the Government. I do not want to be overcritical and I know the problem is a big one, but I am sure the youth of the country would feel that two young men would have something more positive to say in this respect than just a bland congratulation to the Government.

Unemployment is unquestionably the biggest problem we have. We have 234,000 registered unemployed and a further 14,000 not on the register because of their parents' circumstances. I believe that 30,000 people have emigrated, although I am sure the Minister would not agree with that figure, and there are around 20,000 doing various courses. That amounts to at least 300,000 unemployed at the present time, which is a horrific figure — 300,000 people with nothing to do but walk around idle. I spoke before in this House about job satisfaction which is denied to all those unemployed and I stated that job satisfaction is, by and large, a measure of the gap between expectation and reality by people in their work, because for many people their expectations are not very high we would have a high level of job satisfaction.

We have also been told that we must change our concept of work from the way we were taught and the way things were when we started, and I do not doubt this, but I believe that full employment is possible. We must strive to have full employment and it is defeatism to say it is not possible. Whatever is necessary to achieve this must be done and, of course, the concept of work will be one step in that direction.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

Senator Fitzsimons, the wording of the motion——

Mr. Fitzsimons

I spoke about that in a very general sense because the unemployment is something which relates particularly to young people. We have 60,000 people coming on the labour market each year, which is an enormous number of people for whom to find work. We are educating our children to a very high standard. For many of them there will be no employment. Today, I had 120 school children visiting Leinster House from one of our schools in Kells, who will be sitting the Intermediate Certificate soon and the thought crossed my mind as to what is in store for them. They came to see the workings of Leinster House. We have 60,000 young people unemployed. This is a horrific figure.

I should like to speak briefly about the dole, in a general sense. It is the greatest device we have to deal with the problem of youth unemployment. The concept of the dole is out of date. It has been brought up in the House many times by various Senators: young people signing on and having to queue outside the labour exchange, exposed to the weather, and no work for them. I recommended here before that we should have courses to enable people to change to a different type of employment if it were possible. The dole prevents this.

Emigration is growing again. In the last year 30,000 people have emigrated. This problem is so great that next Friday Mr. Gay Byrne will have an expert on his programme to talk about emigration to America — long term and short term — for young people. We are going back to the situation we had many years ago where young people had nothing to look forward to but the boat. Very recently a close friend of mine called on me: two of his sons were emigrating and the man was heartbroken. It brought the problem home very forcibly to me. Luckily, it transpired that something else turned up. We have this problem on a massive scale.

I have spoken before on unemployment, our housing needs, bad roads, fuel requirements and the problem of emigration. I suggest that we marry the problems of unemployment and housing, to solve the problems for our young people. We have the situation of a young boy and a girl who want to get married; they are unemployed and instead of having the State provide a house for them, it would be better to pay these people to provide a house for themselves. There is no return from the money that is given out on the dole. This is not what the people want. These people should be in productive employment. This idea would not be impossible to implement. We have many, nearly if not all ad hoc schemes which are responses to situations to get the Government and Ministers off the hook at particular times. We do not have a proper policy in this area. Take the social employment scheme, for example, which gives two and a half days employment to young people who are 12 months on the register. I welcome this scheme. As Senator Howlin has stated, there is plenty of work to be done. There are also young people who are unemployed and who do not want to go on the register. They want to stay away from the dole and they are not entitled to avail of this scheme. This is wrong. As I have stated, I welcome the scheme, but it is encouraging people to avail of the dole.

We have an enormous crime problem among our young people which stems from unemployment. In order to take the radical decisions necessary to implement a policy to tackle the roots rather than the symptoms of such a socially crippling problem, we look forward to our early return to government. In the meantime we are analysing the situation in the broad area of youth affairs and are completing a programme to have ready for implementation. Great strides have already been made in this regard. My party are committed to the development of a comprehensive youth service in which volunteerism will continue to have a special role with the supporting input of professionalism. Youth organisations providing mainline youth services will receive 100 per cent funding for full-time youth workers at present employed in permanent positions in the youth service.

We intend to raise the status of youth work in local communities with a comprehensive nationwide youth development programme involving voluntary and statutory organisations. We shall seek increased voluntary input from professions dealing with young people, such as teachers and gardaí. We will respond to such increased activity with significant improvements in facilities and resources for youth work. It is our intention to make available existing resources, such as schools and school buses, for the further development of a youth service. In government we will introduce immediate initiatives to assist disadvantaged youth areas, including: (1) the introduction of a Housing (Homeless Persons) Bill and provide accommodation for homeless young people through HOPE and Simon; (2) tackle the problems of school truancy through the appointment of school attendance officers in specified black spot areas particularly in urban districts; (3) expand the youth encounter project scheme to give special attention to disaffected young people.

The important place of sport must be recognised. We, on this side of the House, recognise the therapeutic and health care value of sport in addition to its recreational value. Increased expenditure on sport can be justified by the benefits accruing from a healthy and fit society. We will support voluntary sporting organisations in the development of sports programmes encouraging greater participation among young and old. We are committed to significant Government support for community sports organisations such as community games. My party recognise the demand for adequate amenity and leisure facilities in response to increasing free time due to unemployment and increasing leisure time due to changing work practices.

When we return to government we will establish the previous Fianna Fáil Government's programme for the development of sport and leisure facilities. It is our intention to examine the role of sport in second and third level education with a view to increased participation and improved standards. We believe it is necessary to provide training facilities to international standards for athletes representing Ireland in all sports. We are at present examining the most effective methods to finance the preparation of our most talented young athletes to enable them to compete successfully in international competitions.

Mr. J. Higgins

I support the motion. I should like to take issue with Senator Fitzsimons who castigated Senator Deenihan and myself as being two of the younger Members of the House for our bland congratulations on Government policy. If one reads the wording of the motion itself one will see that we merely commend the Government on their policy of facilitating the fullest possible development of our young people. I believe that we are justified in putting down a motion to that effect because I believe that for the first time ever we have seen a concerted, purposeful approach to youth development. We are not claiming in fact that there are any tremendous grandiose successes. There has been no spectacular breakthrough in relation to unemployment, but I believe that for the first time ever a Minister and a junior Minister have been appointed and a Government Department has been set up specifically to be cognisant of and to assist in every possible way the development of facilities for our youth, all aspects of youth development, multi-dimensional. I believe we are on the way towards that aspiration. After all for fifty years of our existence it did not figure in our policies, good, bad or indifferent. Youth policies were non-existent. At least it now has become part of accepted Government policy that a junior Minister — and hopefully in time a senior Minister — will be designated for this all-important area.

I welcome the motion and the fact that it focuses on the year that we have, and particularly on the theme of that year, and that is participation, development and peace. They have already been more than well elaborated by the proposer of the motion, Senator Deenihan.

Senator Deenihan mentioned the development of outdoor pursuit centres, and in the past number of years we have seen the emergence of such centres in increasing numbers, made available to all at a nominal sum in order to ensure that people of all classes and without distinction can use them. Young people, in fact, for a nominal sum have ready access to outdoor facilities of a high standard under excellent supervision and coaching. In my own county, just as in County Kerry, we have the Achill outdoor pursuit centre which for £7 provides a weekend of orienteering, mountaineering, swimming, scuba-diving, surfing etc. I want to congratulate this Government for the imagination they have shown, at least in showing a capacity to break out of traditional moulds and norms and thinking and to show that there is justification for mobility of resources and for transferring resources from the Department of Social Welfare and paying people for doing nothing, into the Department of Labour and paying people for doing something and, in most cases, doing something useful.

If we had more of this imaginative, forward, progressive type of thinking right across the board, and if we had it in the past, we would not find ourselves in the sorry state and dilemma that we find ourselves in at present.

The social employment scheme has been castigated by Senator Fitzsimons on the basis that it does not in fact reflect true figures. He mentioned that young people, by and large, have too much pride to acknowledge that they are entitled to unemployment assistance and therefore we are not getting a true reflection of the number of unemployed. I cannot accept that. I think that financial compulsion after a while forces virtually everybody on to the dole queue and indeed I would say this, that if anything the dole figures are exaggerated, that the number of 234,000 which is deemed to reflect the number of people ready, willing and able to work is exaggerated. One scheme in particular that has caught the imagination of people and taken off with a vengance has been what was previously the youth employment scheme and is now the teamwork scheme. I welcome in particular the manner in which the people who are promoting this scheme have sought to ensure diversification. Heretofore, the vast majority of schemes undertaken were (a) male-orientated and (b) of a manual nature. Now excellent work has been done in relation to cemetery restoration, the provision of community facilities etc, but I would say that 90 per cent of the beneficiaries therefrom in fact — I am talking in terms of labour content — have been male and that little if anything has been done to try to alleviate the female unemployment problem. That is why if you look at the cover on the new application form and memorandum for Teamwork you will see depicted there in design and graphics etc., scope for the setting up of musical co-operatives, drama groups, vegetable co-operatives, groups working with the elderly, doing social work, etc. It is this type of integration into the community and diversification that is to be commended and, again, that should be further developed and amplified.

Near where I come from in County Mayo, actually in the village of Knock, a jewellery and craftwork class under the aegis and auspices of AnCO is starting there this week. It will employ a dozen young people manufacturing high class, high quality jewellery and souvenirs of the area. I have no doubt whatever that at the end of this period, given that the people on the course have the necessary aptitude for the training, a co-operative will in fact emerge therefrom. This is the type of undertaking that should be encouraged by AnCO, by the youth employment scheme and by the National Development Corporation. I take issue with people who would say that nothing has been done for youth. I would maintain that the schemes are there but that they are not being exploited and that in fact it is the communities that are blameworthy and culpable for not taking up the numerous schemes, offers and opportunities that are being presented by different Departments. I know that many of them are short-term and that many of them are treated in a derisory fashion by politicians of different views and persuasions in that they do not immediately offer long-term scope and employment. But what they do is (a) expose people to a work situation (b) try to capture expertise and (c) provide the necessary follow-up if such people wish to set up a business as a result of the experience or the market research which is taking place within the scheme.

Senator Fitzsimons mentioned 234,000 unemployed. The last figures were 226,000. For the third month in succession we have seen at least the downward trend begin. It is nothing mind-shattering or world-shaking but at least the corner has been turned. Again, in relation to the emigration of youth I would maintain that the figures are largely arbitrary and that we are not on the brink of the precipice or of seeing the mass exodus from this country that we experienced in the past. I come from an area that was sorely afflicted by emigration, where they said in days gone by that there were three trains from Ballyhaunis with one engine pushing and the other pulling, taking the human cargo on their way to cross the water. I think we are a far cry from that day and I sincerely hope we are.

One of the major pitfalls, or one of the major drawbacks or discriminatory factors as regards the existence of young people particularly in rural Ireland, is lack of access to cultural facilities. We have, not very far from here, a National Museum which is in a state of semi-decay and which certainly has not anything like the accommodation that is needed and yet, in the basement of this museum and in other centres around this city we have artefacts and items of historical and archaeological merit which have been discovered in the bogs and the moorlands of rural Ireland and which would lie buried and hidden from the people who found them or from the environment in which they were found. That is why I would urge that something purposeful and positive should be done in this respect to decentralise facilities such as the National Museum, to set up regional county museums, regional county art galleries, regional county folklore theatres where the people, and the young people in particular, of rural Ireland can enjoy, appreciate and absorb the culture from which they themselves have come.

Again, I want to congratulate the Government on what has been done so far. I think significant strides have been made. I think significant strides will be made and I look forward with a certain degree of expectation and anticipation to the emergence of a report shortly regarding the Curriculum and Examination Board as again giving further testimony and evidence of the commitment of this administration to youth.

Mr. Fallon

The motion before us reads:

That Seanad Éireann takes note of the designation of 1985 as International Youth Year; welcomes it for highlighting the needs and the abilities of youth and commends the Government on their policy of facilitating the fullest possible development of our young people.

Obviously, there are some parts of that that I could not disagree with, for example, the fact that it is International Youth Year. The last line is certainly one that I would have to query and query in a very strong way. I do not feel, and many of the youth do not feel, that the Government should be congratulated on their policy of facilitating the fullest possible development of our young people, because we have failed and failed miserably in this area.

We are looking at this motion here tonight in the knowledge that almost 100,000 of our young people are out of work. Normally, in good times they should be at work. Many thousands of young people are attending our third level institutions. Again, they are there due to the fact that they could not find work. So, our third level institutions are bursting at the seams for the simple reason that our young people cannot find jobs. When we talk about our young people, we have to talk in the knowledge that what they want most in life is a job, a permanent, worthwhile job in which they can organise themselves and — hopefully — in time get married and organise a family. That is their main priority, and the Government have failed miserably to tackle this terrible evil of unemployment.

We had a report recently from the National Youth Council, a very worthwhile and responsible report. They came up with a number of conclusions. The first important priority for those young people was the fact that they should enjoy good health, a most responsible aspiration. Their second priority was that they should have a permanent job. The third priority was that there should be peace in our country — all very worthwhile and noble aspirations and ones that you would congratulate any youth group on preparing and presenting. I do not think the Government have come up with anything to fulfil the aspirations of that report. What have we? We have training schemes by the score of one kind or another. Training for what? Why train for six weeks or six months when at the end of the day there are no jobs available? That is the yardstick by which the youth are judging us and are judging our Government.

They have a plethora of training schemes. Some of these are excellent schemes if there was something at the end of them, but many, many young people are disillusioned, fed up and totally shattered by their experiences. Having got the training, they find that they have no jobs. The previous speaker referred to various schemes like teamwork — all important. Many of these community schemes find difficulty in getting off the ground because public liability insurance and employers' liability insurance are so difficult to obtain at the moment for that type of scheme. This is something on which the Government should consult with the various insurance companies. Otherwise they will fail totally. Again, there is the social employment scheme. It is not for the young people; it is for long-term people who have been out of work for 12 months or more. If the Government were worried and concerned about our youth they could well have extended that social employment scheme to apply to young people so as to give them an opportunity of actual work, even for two-and-a-half days a week or one week out of two, as the scheme allows for. We have not been seen to do anything positive, worth while or practical for the youth.

Again, we have the question of crime and the breakdown of law and order. Many people associate the fact that unemployment is so high with this problem — that is why we have the crime and that is why we have the breakdown in law and order. If the main problem of jobs was tackled once and for all, much of the crime and the breakdown in law and order would disappear also.

Other speakers have referred to the role of recreation for our youth and for our people generally. Certainly, I would have to support any effort at improving the role of sport, and when we talk about sports it is important that we talk about sports that have not mass spectator audiences, sports like canoeing and rowing and minor sports that unfortunately are dependent on their own members and work to raise funds. The Government should come to the aid of this type of sports and ensure that they continue, because many of them, I know, are finding it extremely difficult to survive with the cost of upkeep of premises and the purchase of canoes and outriggers. The Government should also help the other sports that are finding survival so difficult. It would be a pity if, through lack of funds, they were allowed to fail in any part of the country. It is vital that we continue to have a worthwhile sports policy for our youth because of the fact that they have no jobs and that they have much recreation time on their hands. It is important that they be given an opportunity in the area of sport.

Outdoor pursuit centres are something that should be encouraged. It is a new form of sport; it is not everybody who can win all-Ireland medals, and many young people are very interested in this type of pursuits, and they should be encouraged actively through the various vocational education committees or indeed any community group who feels that they can involve themselves in that type of activity. Sport generally should be helped. I know much of it should be done by the sport organisations. The Basketball Association of Ireland have made great strides because of the ambitious policy they adopted a few years ago. Basketball is now very much a thriving sport, and certainly they are getting crowds that a few years ago they never thought possible. The most important thing that this Government can do for our youth is to ensure that at the end of their training programmes, when they come out of school, whether it be second level or third level, jobs would be there for them. That is what they want most in life, and until that situation becomes a reality then this motion before us is one that will have a question mark after it.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. G. Birmingham)

I have to say that it was not my intention to intervene in the debate on this occasion. I had hoped to save my remarks for next week. I understand that as no Member of the House is offering on this occasion it falls to me by default. Members of the House will be aware that I have had an opportunity in the recent past to address myself to the report of the Costello Committee on Youth Matters. It would be helpful if I updated Members on some developments that have taken place since then. There are two things that will be of interest to Members of the House. The first is the progress of the response to the report. Members will recall that I indicated on that occasion that I was anxious that we would have the widest possible response and that we could hear the considered views of youth organisations and other interested parties. I am happy to say that we have received a very wide number of responses. Indeed, the great bulk of them if not all of them supported the central thrust of the Costello report. Those have now been considered within my Department and I also had the opportunity of considering the approach taken to the report by the other Government Departments. As a result of that, I have been able to complete my own consideration of the report. I am now in the process of submitting to Government a considered response to that report. I am happy to say to Senators that we are ahead of target on our commitment of producing a youth policy within International Youth Year.

Another matter that may be of some interest to Senators is the fact that today I took the opportunity of announcing the annual grant scheme awards allocation. I was pleased to be in a position to announce today a package of support for the youth service in all totalling some £6.6 million. It is by far the most substantial package ever presented by any Government or any Minister of State. Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of that was the fact that it showed the range of resources now available to the youth organisations and the number of channels through which they can now expect to receive support. I realise that Members of the House will be anxious to compare like with like, and that is not easy, because the package is quite different to any that has come before. On the basis of doing the best that one can, I think Members will immediately focus on the provision in the Estimate for the youth service grant-in-aid. I am pleased to say that that particular subhead has been increased from £2.2 million last year to £2.95 million this year, an increase of 33 per cent, which I regard as a very satisfactory contribution by this Government to our celebration of International Youth Year. That figure of £2.95 million needs to be examined a little more closely.

First of all, it contains provision within it for cost of living increases and it improves the cost of living increases for all the 27 or 28 youth organisations previously grant-aided by the State. In addition, it has allowed the admission to the scheme for the first time of some additional organisations such as the Young Environmentalists group and the Peace Corp, who have now been admitted to the system of youth service grant-in-aid. It also provides for support under a number of other headings, for example, support for the common training programme, support for in-service training for youth workers, support for North-South exchange, an aspect on which I personally place a great deal of priority, support for British-Irish exchange, which again is a subject very close to my own heart.

Perhaps the most significant point is the fact that that sum of £2.95 million allows me to take initiative in the coming weeks in areas of particular disadvantage. In doing that we are very close to the central thrust of the Costello report with its demands to all of us that in social justice we must respond to those areas of greatest need. I am happy to say that the funds for it have been made available to me to enable me to support on a continuing basis and on a more generous basis the mainstream youth service. In addition, they also give me an opportunity to take initiative in this area of particular importance and urgency in regard to the question of support for the disadvantaged.

I mentioned, too, that the package I announced today provided for and made clear the extent to which youth organisations were now in a position to draw down support from a number of different channels. One of those channels was the re-introduced capital grant scheme. I was delighted in the closing days of the work of the Costello report to anticipate their view that the State should support local communities and local youth organisations in providing themselves with community and recreational facilities. Even before they had completed their work I was able to anticipate that and present to Government an argument for the re-introduction of those grants. I am happy to say that the Government have responded to my request and in the context of the national plan, Building on Reality, have made available a sum of £1 million this year and each of the subsequent years of the plan. It is my intention that as far as possible those funds will also be directed towards areas of greatest social need.

In announcing today's youth service grant allocations I took the opportunity as well to announce a number of capital grants which will be of benefit to the headquarter organisations of the bodies involved. For example, the National Youth Council will be receiving some £15,000 towards the provision of their new headquarters. The Catholic Youth Council in Arran Quay will be receiving support towards theirs. Likewise, a number of scouting and guiding organisations will be receiving support. Today we were concerned only with the question of support for headquarter organisations. The great bulk of the £1 million this year and the £1 million next year and the £1 million the following year will, of course, be spent at a community level and will aid particular local organisations.

The other area of new opportunity for youth organisations has come through the Teamwork programme. A number of Members have made reference to this programme in the course of their contributions. I thank Senators for the general welcome they offered the scheme. For my part I am delighted with the response that has been forthcoming in the couple of months since I first announced it. I speak now from memory and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of my figures, but my recollection is that in the comparable scheme last year — the grant scheme for youth employment — some 700 queries were received from organisations around the country. So far this year, on the basis of applications processed, we have got some 1,800 applications, indicating, I think, the degree of enthusiasm there is within the community to play a part in the fight against unemployment.

I accept that the problem of unemployment is the single greatest burden that weighs on our young people. I think what is of particular interest here is the extent to which that programme is of interest and of benefit to youth organisations in supporting them in their work. It is of interest and of benefit to sport bodies. I was interested to hear Senator Fallon praise the work of the Irish Basketball Association. I share his views and commend that organisation for the highly efficient and highly progressive way in which it has gone about its business in the last few years, and the way in which it managed to give the lead in taking advantage of the Teamwork programme is one that can usefully be followed by a number of other sporting bodies. For example, in my own constituency they have a coaching programme going in Killester involving the Killester basketball club which provides employment for a number of young people locally as coaches. It is obviously of benefit to the widest population of young people in the area who benefit from the coaching provided.

A particular interest to the Members of the House is the fact that now as the first approval comes towards an end a number of the people involved in that programme have identified in it the opportunity for sustainable employment. In particular, a number of them have come forward and are in the process of establishing a co-operative aimed at putting the skills that they have acquired during that programme to work in providing themselves with a living. I welcome that very much indeed.

Senator Fallon commented, in passing, on the difficulties that a number of organisations who were anxious to participate in that programme were finding with the insurance obligation. I would say to them that I am aware of the fact that that is indeed a difficulty or has in the past been a difficulty. I am pleased to say to Members of the Seanad that my Department have been very active on that front in recent weeks. While I cannot say that we have crossed every "t" and dotted every "i" in relation to it I think we are in a position to provide support to any individual group who may find themselves in difficulty. If any Member of the Seanad is aware of a group which is holding back from proceeding with an approval because of concerns about the level of employer liability insurance or because of concerns about the difficulty of obtaining it, if they make contact with my office we will be glad to give them some advice.

Another initiative taken in the context of International Youth Year that has been mentioned by Members and, in particular, by Senator Deenihan in his contribution was the question of the President's award scheme. I regard this scheme, closely modelled on a number of other schemes overseas, as being very important and very worthwhile. I do so for two reasons. First of all because valuable as the work is of all the organisations that we support we have to accept that they reach only a minority of young people.

The survey taken by the Costello report established beyond any doubt that the majority of young people do not in fact join the local youth club or the local boy scouts troop or whatever. We have to reach out to those young people who are unattached. The experience overseas has been that programmes like the President's Award Scheme which challenge young people as individuals and give recognition to objective excellence have been very successful in attracting young people to participate who had not up to then been drawn in by any of the preexisting youth organisations. That is why I regard it as important. The other reason why I regard it as important, of course, is the further opportunity that it provides for international contacts. In that regard I particularly hope that participants in it will avail of the opportunity for close contact with their peers taking part in similar programmes in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain.

One matter that may have escaped the attention of the Senators is that in the other House in the course of the last hour an amendment to the Finance Bill moved by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Dukes, was approved. The terms of that amendment were designed to encourage private sector investment. The amendment holds out the prospects to the private sector of tax relief, on any contributions. I hope that with that inducement and that encouragement this will be seen as a unique partnership between the State and the private sector in the interests of young people and that, in particular, it will succeed in reaching out to those very many young people who have to date not been attracted to the work of existing organisations.

I know that a number of the Members of the Seanad addressed themselves to the themes of International Youth Year — peace, participation and development. Obviously, those themes are of burning interest and relevance to young people in Ireland at the moment. A number of steps taken by this Government are designed to support young people in each of those areas. I have mentioned already the support that we have given to the youth service — the greatly increased support for the youth service — which I believe addressed itself to the question of the development of the youth service. Certainly, the last word has not been written there.

On the question of participation, too, this Government have been concerned to respond. We have been determined to establish the right of the voices of young people to be heard at the highest level where decisions are taken. We have taken the initiative in appointing young people to the board of the Youth Employment Agency. We have taken the initiative in seeing to it that young people will be heard as of right in the councils of the National Economic and Social Council. We have said that on a body such as the Local Interim Radio Authority, clearly concerned with an issue of considerable interest to young people, it is absolutely essential that young people will be in there and will be heard. We have determined in the context of the Planning Acts that the voices of young people will be heard within the planning process. Within the prison system, where unfortunately so many of those who find themselves committed are in fact young people, we regard it as desirable that young people will be involved in the administration too. We are taking steps to appoint representatives of young people to the prison visiting boards of the various institutions.

On the wider question of participation I think that — and this was a comment that was made in the debate tonight and has been made on other occasions when we have discussed youth affairs in this House — the challenge in the Costello report is addressed not just to Government but to all parties in this House. It is clear that young people adopt a somewhat cynical and sceptical approach to politics and to the political system. While it is right and proper that they should be sceptical — because anyone who would seek to rob young people of their scepticism would leave them defenceless and at the mercy of any knave — the extent to which young people feel isolated from the political system must be a concern to any practicising politician. I have taken the initiative with the approval of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of The Workers' Party and registered political parties represented in Dáil Éireann, of making available funds to assist them in employing an education officer designed to address the question, identified as so important by the Costello report, of political education. I hope that that is an initiative that will enjoy the support of Members of this House.

I think there is a further question. I have no desire to stir controversy at this stage. If we are to be serious about asking young people to participate and to say to them that we want to create a society that is welcoming and inviting to them to participate then we have to look to our laurels and see how we have responded when issues have been presented to us. The performance of many Members of this House and of the other House, when faced with the choice on the Family Planning Act, was no encouragement to and no vote of confidence in young people. The paternalism and the extent to which the values of a new generation were ignored by so many Members of both Houses in their contributions, cannot be but a slap in the face to young people who seek to participate in our political system. Happily, the fact that a majority of Members in this House and in the other House saw fit to follow the lead courageously offered by the Taoiseach will, I think, be seen by young people as being a vote of confidence in them, in their maturity and in their responsibility to lead and to make decisions for themselves.

The question of peace arises, peace within our community and the whole question of the role that young people play and continue to play in striving for social justice, social justice at home but also in their magnificent response to the needs of the Third World. Obviously, in that context the whole question of cooperation between this part of the island and Northern Ireland arises.

I welcome the fact that in International Youth Year a very substantial number of events have been organised in youth organisations with this North-South dimension, the most dramatic of which, of course, will be the Scout Jamboree in Portumna in August when some 10,000 scouts from the three scouting associations in this island — the Catholic Boy Scouts, the Scout Association of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Scouts — will come together for the first time to camp together. For my part, I hope that the links forged during International Youth Year will prove to be enduring ones and that the contacts established this year will not be allowed to wither at the end of the year but that they will go on to prove the basis of lasting friendship.

I conclude, Chairman, by thanking the Senators who have contributed to this debate. Given the fact that Ireland is one of a small and quite select band of countries that have been invited by the United Nations to serve on the organising committee for International Youth Year I think it is proper that the importance and the uniqueness of the occasion should be marked by a debate in the House. I thank the Senators who have taken the initiative to have the debate and the other Members of the House who have contributed to the discussion.

Mr. Deenihan

I would like to thank the Senators who contributed and supported the motion. Unfortunately, I feel that on the Fianna Fáil side of the House they did not do the motion the justice it deserved. The theme is International Youth Year. I feel it is a very important year for all of us. Again, to bring politics into it to the extent that Senator Fitzsimons brought politics into it, I think is rather sad. The youth of this country need direction. They need example from politicians and to look at politicians as people who are interested in problems as a whole rather than looking at them from the property aspect. It is unfortunate that both Senator Fitzsimons and to a lesser extent Senator Fallon took this line. No doubt as the year progresses and as International Youth Year gathers momentum politicians from all sides will be trying to get on the bandwagon and associate with the event. Unfortunately, the debate in this House tonight does not reflect the amount of interest that is within the community for this special year.

I would like to thank both Senator Howlin and Senator Higgins for their contributions. Senator Howlin mentioned that there was a great spirit of co-operation and community sensibility present at a meeting he attended recently. I also found this at meetings I have been at. Senator Higgins mentioned that it would be important to expose national archives and some of the many archives that are at present hidden away in the National Museum to our young people. This is a very important point. This year should be one where patriotism, respect and pride in our country will be revived among the young people.

I feel very disappointed that the people on the other side of the House who put so much emphasis on patriotism could not see the point that Senator Higgins and I were trying to make in bringing the motion before the House tonight. Again I would like to repeat that this is where we as politicians are falling down. It is no wonder that young people see and address us in such a cynical fashion as was mentioned by the Minister of State.

To the Minister of State I would like to say that he is probably the first Minister who has really responded to the need of the youth of this country. He has made enormous attempts and efforts to stem the growth of youth unemployment. From contemporary schemes in other countries on youth employment and the efforts that are being made there I feel that we are leading in the world with respect to youth employment. I was looking through a book recently which was produced by the Victorian Senate of Australia which compared various youth employment initiatives around the world. I feel that the initiatives that have taken place in this country are far ahead of anything that was set down in that book. For that the Minister of State must be commended.

I am also glad that the Minister has announced an increased allocation towards youth funding. This would help support the very many schemes that are being initiated and applied for at the moment. With the proper support and enthusiasm this year, the international youth year, could prove to be of immense benefit to all of us.

I would like to end by sincerely thanking those people who contributed. I would like to thank the Minister for being present. Hopefully before the end of the year we will have more positive feedback from international youth committees around the country.

Question put and agreed to.

Professor Dooge

By agreement it is proposed to meet at 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday next. I propose the House adjourn until then.

Agreed.

The Seanad adjourned at 7.55 p.m. until 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 May 1985.