I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This matter refers to the Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre, County Monaghan, which is facing ever more urgent problems. The centre is one of six outdoor activity centres which receive no State funding, as opposed to nine centres which are State funded. Legislation to be introduced in January 2001 will regularise safety codes for outdoor centres but will mean that the Tanagh centre will be unable to continue in operation.
The centre was established in 1993 and is completely self-financing, except for a £30,000 annual grant from the local VEC. This centre is fortunate in that it is situated in idyllic surroundings beside a forest which is conducive to many of its activities, and near Annaghmakerrig lake which is renowned for its beauty and facilities. The centre is leased from a local religious order for a very small annual rent and would have been in a financial crisis long ago if it were not for the generosity of the brothers. The closest activity centres to County Monaghan are in counties Louth or Donegal. A large number of counties do not have these facilities.
I wish to outline the activities which take place in the Tanagh centre and its need for funding. The activities include hill walking, rock climbing, archery, canoeing and orienteering. Last year, for example, the centre catered for over 4,000 young people from national schools north and south of the Border, as well as for many non-educational and youth groups. As many groups return to the centre, it is providing acceptable facilities.
Over 4,000 people avail of the centre's facilities each year and there could be 50 young people there at any one time on a daily, weekend or five day basis. The fee charged by the centre is approximately 50% less than other VEC or privately run centres. The reason for this is the management and staff of the centre believe that the facilities are so archaic and in such a deplorable condition, it would be unfair to charge more.
The centre is run by a manager and extremely dedicated and committed staff who work on a part-time basis. The low income from fees and the small amount, when one considers how much it costs to run such a centre, from the local VEC mean it is becoming more difficult to provide more facilities and to improve existing ones in order to provide appropriate activities for an adventure centre.
The anticipated legislation from the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources is expected to provide that each centre should improve the ratio of instructors and leaders to participants and employ better qualified staff. The Bill is also expected to provide that centres upgrade existing facilities. Anybody would agree with such safety measures but, without State funding and recognition, the activity centre in County Monaghan will be unable to comply with the Department's legislation and regulations.
The buildings were previously a monastery and they have been upgraded to the highest possible standard over the years. However, they are extremely old and need refurbishment. I listened to Senator O'Meara speaking earlier and I would love to show her the bathroom and shower facilities at the centre which young people, their leaders and instructors are expected to share. They are archaic. In this day and age, regardless of how well the economy is doing, the problem must be urgently addressed in the interest of privacy. Such standards are no longer acceptable.
An interdepartmental working group was established which published its report in June last year. It outlined recommendations which should be complied with by all activity centres. The first recommendation was that the facilities of existing recognised centres be improved – there are nine such centres. It is then envisaged that the facilities of the six unrecognised centres be upgraded. That means it will be approximately three years before the Tanagh centre will be considered for refurbishment.
What would recognition from the Department mean? It would mean a centre such as Tanagh would be guaranteed approximately £50,000 per year from the Department to improve the activities and facilities it provides and to provide high quality instruction to participants. The Minister for Education and Science has been forceful in encouraging physical education and recreational activities for young people. Since physical education is now part of the school curriculum, it is more important than ever that we enhance the facilities in centres such as Tanagh. That would comply with the Department's objective of encouraging physical and recreational activities for young people.
I urge the Minister to give consideration to expediting the process of funding existing adventure centres. Under the new legislation providing for safety codes, centres such as Tanagh will not be able to continue. I fear that by imposing these regulations, we will lose a valuable resource in County Monaghan. I look forward to a positive response from the Minister.
