Commencement Matters

Disability Activation Projects

Senator Mary Moran

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys. As he knows, funding for projects under the Disability Activation Project, DACT, is due to end in April.

In 2012, approximately €7 million was approved for a range of projects, including the Walk Peer programme in County Louth. It was a great day for disability and people in the Dundalk area when the Tánaiste launched this back in 2012. This programme has flourished due to Disability Activation Project, DACT, funding. Walk Peer in County Louth has enabled 118 young people with disabilities to engage with mainstream opportunities that were not previously open to them. If funding ends in April, as I understand it will, and is not renewed, five staff who work on the Walk Peer programme will lose their jobs and over 100 young people in County Louth will lose this vital link and support.

I can attest to the excellent and inspiring work of Walk Peer in my area. The programme fills a gap in services for people with a disability and provides individualised support to assist in ensuring that people with a disability do not experience long-term unemployment early in life. The Walk Peer programme and staff have been recognised as leaders in their work locally and nationally, having recently been invited to present as a model of best practice at the National Disability Authority conference. Indeed, they have received awards in both Dundalk and Drogheda for workforce development and best training initiative in the county. They have proved themselves. I have also shadowed participants in the Walk Peer programme over the past two years and can attest to the enjoyment, benefit and learning they gain from these courses. I will single out one person and how they have benefited. I had the good fortune to teach a student who left school, was then deemed ineligible or not ready for employment or further education, went into the Walk Peer programme, has now graduated from that and has a place on a local PLC course. This is something that not many people would have thought possible a few short years ago. It shows the excellent work done by trainers, co-ordinators and all the help that has come together to ensure that people with a disability get the best they can.

This is why I have taken this issue up today. I fully support the work of Walk Peer, as do many people in County Louth who have heard of or come into contact with this excellent service. One Walk Peer participant with whom I spoke recently told me they loved meeting up every Monday morning as it is the chance to do something different with the hope of getting some outcomes. These testimonials can be found all over the place. Walk Peer provides hope, support and confidence to young people on the programme. I could go on for hours with testimonials and positive responses, which are key because one knows that one has a good programme going.

I would appreciate it if the Minister could address certain issues today, including the DACT evaluation. When will this take place and when will it finish? Surely it is important to conduct this evaluation while the Walk Peer programme is still in place rather than in April when it will be all over? Could the Minister also outline what will happen to participants on a programme like Walk Peer when the funding ends in April 2015? As I previously mentioned, more than 118 people have been involved. We have had the opportunity to address the funding issues for Walk Peer and other successful DACT projects. We need to secure and ensure access to this valuable and empowering service for young people with disabilities.

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection (Deputy Kevin Humphreys)

I thank the Senator. I know she has a long-term commitment to the area of disability,. Many Members of the Seanad have raised different issues relating to disability and I acknowledge the work the Senator and other Members do within this area. They regularly raise very important issues that are similar to this issue and always do so in a very constructive manner.

DACT is jointly funded by the European Social Fund and the Department of Social Protection with an estimated budget of about €7 million. A total of 14 projects are being funded under this programme in the border, midlands and western region and commenced in 2012. The project seeks to explore a variety of routes towards ensuring that people with disabilities are enabled to avail of progression, education and development opportunities in the world of work.

A key criterion applied when selecting projects was that the findings from the projects in terms of what worked successfully should be capable, where appropriate, of being mainstreamed in future. That is very important. The aim is to recognise best practice and to mainstream those elements.

The disability activation programme is organised around four separate strands all with similar eligibility and selection criteria, but each having its own key focus. These strands are as follows: improving access to employment, progression programmes for young people, supporting the progression and retention of people with an acquired disability and innovative employer initiatives. The target group for each strand is people between 16 and 65 years of age in receipt of disability or illness welfare payments who reside in the Border, midlands and west regions. Projects may relate to one of the three main disability types, which are physical and sensory disabilities, intellectual disabilities and mental health difficulties or may have a cross-disability focus. Some 2,700 people with disabilities have participated in these projects between 2013 and early 2015.

ESF funding for the Disability Activation Project is being provided under the human capital investment operational programme 2007-13. This programme recently came to an end and there is no provision in the ESF for co-funding arrangements to continue after April 2015, as I have already pointed out. The Department is arranging an evaluation process of the Disability Activation Project to determine the extent to which it has achieved its aims and objectives. The evaluation process will seek to highlight any learning from the projects and modules undertaken of good practice that could be used to inform policy development and will also identify those aspects of the project which could be maintained so as to develop and, or, sustain its work and achievements.

It was recently clarified to the projects that further ESF funding will not be available and that terms and grant agreements with disability activation projects stipulate that such projects must be completed and delivered by the end of April 2015. It was never envisaged that the disability activation projects would de facto become delivery of services no matter how successful they were. The Disability Activation Project was not designed to be an open-ended funding stream and an end date was set by which to determine its strength and weaknesses and to identify what aspects might increase the capacity and potential of people on disability and illness welfare payments to participate in the labour market.

We will be carrying out that evaluation programme and tendering as quickly as possible. The project was intended from its commencement to find out what worked and mainstream that and not to develop a whole new area of programme delivery. It has been successful in some areas and new ideas have come forth which need to be evaluated before being worked into the mainstream. I am not sure if the Senator is asking whether people currently on the schemes will be left high and dry. I will endeavour to clarify that matter for the Senator and come back as quickly as possible. It is an issue I raised with the Department when I saw the motion put down by the Senator. When the information is available, I will provide it to her. I thank the Senator again for raising such an important issue.

Senator Mary Moran

I thank the Minister of State, on whom I can always rely for a straight answer to a straight question when he attends the House. I thank him for his reply notwithstanding that I am disappointed. I take his point when he says that there was a specific time for the project, but when something is working, everything that can be done should be done to ensure that it continues. On that, what is the nature of the evaluation taking place? All 14 projects are delivering very different models of support to very different groups of people all over the country. Will there be a qualitative aspect as well as a quantitative analysis?

How will the Department identify what is deemed to be successful? What will be measured?

Deputy Kevin Humphreys

I do not want to predetermine the outcome of the evaluation. I take on board the Senator's evaluation of how she has seen it operate within her area. That may be the same across the 14 schemes, but we have yet to complete that evaluation. From the beginning, we wanted to identify elements that could be mainstreamed and included in the current system. This was not about setting up 14 separate groups across the country, but about trying 14, probably different, schemes and evaluating them to see what works well. Then, we will consider whether it is possible to mainstream these through our new Intreo offices and case officers.

The evaluation has a common-sense purpose to discover what worked well for participants, whether it was of value to them and whether that can be replicated in the mainstream through the Department's current resources. Having met some participants and some scheme organisers, I believe there is quality in the schemes. We must quantify that and see how we can replicate it to ensure everybody can take advantage of it. Not all of the schemes will be as successful as the one Senator Moran has outlined. Let us learn from them and see whether we can reproduce the good work that has been carried out and get that into the mainstream.

Greek Election Result

Senator Paul Bradford

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the issue of the political and economic situation which flows from the Greek election result. I am glad the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, is here to deal with this question and I look forward to hearing his initial observations. I heard him being interviewed on a radio show yesterday morning on which he gave a comprehensive analysis of the situation as it was then and I agree with most of what he said.

However, I disagree with one comment he made, which I have also heard from other Ministers and commentators, both domestic and international. This was the phrase, "We are not Greece". I appreciate the social, economic and political problems of Greece may be different from ours, but we should stop using the phrase, "We are not Greece". Greece is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world and Greece, the home of democracy, is a cultured, learned place. It is part of the European Union and of the eurozone. The Greeks are our brothers and sisters in the European project and it is in our interest and theirs that we try to progress and move forward together. Greece is much more than feta cheese and postcards. It is an ancient democracy and we all have an obligation to try to ensure its continuation, economically, socially and politically, and to work with the Greek people and the new Greek Government in that regard.

That said, we must reflect seriously on the election result. To change the emphasis, I would say we should beware of Greeks bearing political gifts. Not just in Greece but throughout Europe, there is a great welcome from both the hard left and the hard right for the election result in Greece on Sunday, an election result where 36% of the people - not 50%, 90% or 100% - voted for a political party made up of former communists, Maoists, Trotskyites and people with a view of society and politics the majority of us would not share. We must respect the result of the Greek election, but we must also see the dangers as much as the opportunities.

We must add a note of caution for people who believe some magic economic formula has been delivered by the Greek people on Sunday and urge a degree of calm. We must do so, because where the extreme left is politically successful, not just in Greece but across the European Union, be it in Spain, Italy or Ireland, this is mirrored by the extreme right. Both extremes will thrive on chaos, confusion and fear.

We all know what the problems in Greece are - a huge lack of structural reform, a taxation system which does not appear to work and which certainly is not bringing in the required tax revenue, a complete lack of political reform and a welfare system that does not provide for those most in need. All of these problems will not simply disappear overnight.

The issue I am addressing relates to Greek debt. That was the focal point of the elections. The new Prime Minister sent the message, although it appears from his article in the Financial Times last week that he is slightly back-tracking from it, that there was a magic solution and one could simply wipe off debt and expect to go to the same people three, six or 12 months later to seek to borrow more money, even though one had refused to repay one's loans. That is fantasy land economics and we cannot allow it to go unchallenged. We must also appreciate that the people of Greece, the majority through no fault of their own, are burdened with a massive national debt of 175% to 180% of GDP. That is a challenge that must be tackled with creativity and imagination but also in a common-sense fashion. We must refute the idea that there is a simple solution, that one can simply make a national debt disappear. However, we must also co-operate with the Greek Administration.

I am a little surprised and disappointed at the general lack of enthusiasm for some type of debt conference. Bringing people around the table to talk frankly about the reality of politics and economics and the fact that one cannot wish or write away debt would be helpful, rather than a hindrance. Every country in the European Union, particularly those such as Ireland that have debt issues, could only benefit from further frank exchanges in that regard. I am disappointed at the dismissal of the idea of holding a debt conference, but I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's observations. I appreciate that it is only 48 hours since the elections and that the current position is not static, but we must be vigilant about both the economics and politics of Greece and the broader eurozone and the European Union.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Simon Harris)

I am pleased to give my initial view and the view of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, on the consequences of the recent elections in Greece and thank the Senator for providing me with the opportunity to do so. While he has acknowledged that it is only 48 hours since the elections and that the new Government was only formed yesterday afternoon, it is timely and important that we begin this discussion in the House today.

Syriza clearly won the elections and has formed a coalition with the Independent Greeks. The ruling coalition will have a combined total of 162 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. The Irish Government wishes the new ruling coalition in Greece the very best in the challenges that it will face. I speak for all in the Government when I say I am particularly encouraged that the new Greek Government has committed to continued membership of the single currency. That is welcome and I am sure Senators on all sides of the House also welcome it.

Now that the elections are over and a new Government has been formed, we will wait to see what proposals are brought forward, specifically relating to the high level of public debt in Greece. The Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, attended the Eurogroup yesterday, which was also attended by the outgoing Greek finance Minister. It is important to stress that this was the normal scheduled monthly meeting of the euro area finance Ministers. Furthermore, the Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, highlighted that the Eurogroup was the appropriate forum for discussions with Greece and other programme countries. On the Senator's comments about having a full and frank discussion, this takes place at the Eurogroup. I represented the Minister at the Eurogroup in December and there were full and frank exchanges, with discussions specifically on the challenges facing programme countries and debt levels. The most likely scenario is that discussions will take place at the next scheduled Eurogroup meeting in February. In that regard, the president of the Eurogroup has stated the Eurogroup is ready to work with the new Government in Greece.

I am sure the new Greek Government will prioritise its discussion with the European Union in the coming days and weeks. The current Greek programme of financial assistance was due to expire at the end of last year but was extended by two months until the end of February to allow conclusion of the fifth review by the troika. Subsequently, the fifth review was halted by the presidential and ensuing general elections. There is a great deal of work to be done between now and the end of next month, which is a crucial timeframe.

Key to the discussions on the Greek programme will be the issue of debt sustainability. The vast majority of the Greek debt is official debt and is owed to European taxpayers and the IMF. Indeed, before entering a programme, the Irish taxpayer provided almost €350 million to Greece by way of bilateral loans.

There is nothing on the table yet in terms of proposals and it is up to the Greek Government to make formal proposals. Prior to any formal proposals from the Greek Government it would not be appropriate for me to speculate on the position of the Irish Government on the matter. However, I reiterate the comments of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, last night to the effect that Ireland will work constructively at Eurogroup level to find solutions that are in the best interests of all our citizens.

Reference was made to the consequences for Ireland. It is worth reiterating that Ireland is in a decidedly different position to Greece. This is not to make the flippant "Ireland is not Greece" comment. I take the point Senator Bradford made about European solidarity, the importance of the Greek nation and its contribution to civilisation and democracy over hundreds of years. Nevertheless, we are in a very different economic position and this is the point that I and my colleagues have tried to make.

As a small, open trading economy we have managed to emerge from the economic and fiscal crisis. The economy is now growing and, most important, jobs are being created. We have successfully exited the EU-IMF programme. In the most recent budget we were in a position for the first time to invest further in public services and to reduce the tax burden on individuals. The people have made major sacrifices to achieve this economic and financial stability and that should not be taken for granted. I assure the House that the Government will continue to act prudently and in the best interests of Ireland at all times. We will continue to use the available resources to invest in jobs and public services.

Moreover, we are in a very different position when it comes to debt. Ireland's debt levels are sustainable. We can now borrow at record low levels. This stability is opening up opportunities to achieve further savings. As Senators will recall, before Christmas we replaced €9 billion of IMF debt with cheaper market debt. The intention is to similarly re-finance a further €9 billion in the first half of this year. These early repayment transactions will deliver a saving of over €1.5 billion over the lifetime of the loans. The IMF re-financing builds on the progress made in our negotiations on debt in recent years. We also restructured the promissory note, reducing the State's borrowing requirement by €20 billion in the coming decade or so. We have succeeded in gaining concessions from our European partners in the form of maturity extensions and lower interest rates. The maturity extension removes a market re-financing requirement of €20 billion from the 2015-22 period while the interest rate reduction delivers savings each year in the annual budget. Furthermore, our net debt at the end of last year was a little over 90% of GDP. This does not take account of the value of the banking assets.

While financial markets in Greece have been adversely affected through declines in the stock markets, capital outflows and increases in bond yields, markets appear to be treating Greece as an outlier rather than a source of contagion. This is encouraging and suggests that the institutional reforms of the euro area are now having the desired impact. I thank Senator Bradford for giving me the opportunity to outline my view and the view of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, at this initial stage in response to the Greek election.

Senator Paul Bradford

The Minister of State referred in some depth and length to the consequences for Ireland. I call on him to comment briefly on the political consequences in view of the shallow analysis and selling of the message by certain extreme groupings, at home and abroad, to the effect that there is a simple solution to the Greek problem and, therefore, a simple solution to our debt problems in this country.

Deputy Simon Harris

I agree with Senator Bradford. I too was encouraged by the op-ed from the now Greek Prime Minister in the Financial Times last Wednesday. While I do not agree with every word he wrote, I welcome the fact that he referred to wanting to engage, work constructively, make debt sustainable and seek restructuring. This attitude of wanting to work with partners in Europe is what the Minister, Deputy Noonan, and the Government are keen to see happen above all. We cannot have any unilateral steps. I welcome the fact that the Greek Government is committed to working with partners.

It was interesting to hear some Members of the Oireachtas, or certainly one, talk of wanting to take not only an aeroplane but a bandwagon to Athens. Ireland is not Greece. I am going to say that again and I believe it, because no matter how many times someone wishes to try to make a direct comparison between Ireland and Greece for the purposes of short-term political populism, it does not serve the taxpayers or the citizens of this country, nor, for that matter, does it serve the citizens of Greece.

There is no magic wand solution. I am not suggesting that this Government has necessarily got everything right, but the people have shown that by working together and pursuing the policies that the Government has pursued relating to growth, job creation and investment, where possible, as well as reducing tax on work, we can actually grow our way out of fiscal and financial difficulty. This will now be the challenge for Greece. The efforts of some in recent days to use the opportunity of a Greek election to score cheap political points in Ireland does not serve the interests of Irish taxpayers and I do not imagine it will do too much for Greek taxpayer either.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

I wish to comment.

An Cathaoirleach

The Senator did not table a motion.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

The Minister of State said he would welcome the comments of Senators. I take it that is not appropriate in the Cathaoirleach's view.

An Cathaoirleach

Not at this point in time.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

Go raibh maith agat.

An Cathaoirleach

Perhaps the Senator can make his comment during the Order of Business. It was a good try by the Senator and I thank the Minister of State.

Wind Energy Guidelines

An Cathaoirleach

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coffey, to the House. We are dealing with motion No. 3, which was tabled by Senator Byrne.

Senator Thomas Byrne

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach as ucht an deis a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar an-tábhachtach seo a ardú ag tús suí an tSeanaid inniu.

I am pleased to be presented with the opportunity to raise this issue in the Seanad today. The people of north Meath, and I presume people all across the country, are hopping mad with the Government because left, right and centre, planning permissions are being submitted, and in some cases approved, that were based on outdated guidelines. It was previous Ministers who appeared before us in this House that coined the term "outdated guidelines". Such a system is completely wrong. I thought we had moved away from that type of planning system.

An Bord Pleanála has received a planning application for six turbines to be located in Nobber, County Meath which has already been refused by Meath County Council. An application has also been submitted, under the strategic infrastructure Act, and refers to Element Power's proposal for across north Meath. Due to the Government's delay in issuing guidelines these firms appear to be trying to take advantage of the gap generated. The firms have used outdated guidelines but the Government appears to be facilitating them, which is completely wrong. It is about time the Government issued new guidelines which are acceptable to the majority of people and acceptable to people who would otherwise have to put up with these monstrosities being located beside them.

We are embarking on a whole new ballgame because supersized turbines have not been seen in this country before. The public do not accept the situation. The Government should say "No", stop the planning applications - it is within the power of the Minister to stop these applications - and say it is thinking about this matter. We cannot have a blot on the landscape and have turbines located in some of the nicest and potentially lucrative tourism areas without looking at what guidelines, rules and regulations are being set down. The Minister has a choice - either we have a proper planning system for turbines or we do not.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Paudie Coffey)

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, and I thank the Senator for raising the issue.

Proposals for wind energy developments are subject to the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in the same manner as other proposed developments. Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authority with a right of appeal to An Bord Pleanála. In the case of wind development proposals which meet the statutory threshold criteria for classification as strategic infrastructure developments under the Planning and Development Acts, such applications must be submitted directly to An Bord Pleanála.

Planning authorities, including An Bord Pleanála, are required to have regard to my Department's wind energy development guidelines, which were published in June 2006, when making determinations on wind farm development proposals. These guidelines provide advice to planning authorities on catering for wind energy through the development plan and development management processes. The guidelines are also intended to ensure a consistency of approach throughout the country in the identification of suitable locations for wind energy development and the treatment of planning applications for such developments.

In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setbacks and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 wind energy development guidelines. These draft revisions proposed the following: the setting of a more stringent day and night noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments; a mandatory minimum setback of 500 m between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations; and the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings. A public consultation process was initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the guidelines which ran until 21 February 2014. My Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.

It is intended that the revisions to the 2006 wind energy development guidelines will be finalised as soon as possible. In this regard, account has to be taken of the extensive response to the public consultation in framing the final guidelines. Further work is also advancing to develop technical appendices to assist planning authorities with the practical application of the noise measurement aspects of wind guidelines.

The revisions to the wind energy development guidelines 2006, when finalised, will be issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. In the interim, the 2006 guidelines will continue to apply to existing planning applications.

It is a matter for the relevant planning authority to make the appropriate determination on a planning application or appeal, having regard to relevant planning guidelines issued by my Department. However, these guidelines are issued for guidance purposes to assist planning authorities in the performance of their functions. Ultimately, planning authorities, be they the local authorities or An Bord Pleanála, will make their own decision based on the specific merits or otherwise of individual planning applications.

Senator Thomas Byrne

Once again, the blame is put on the volume of submissions received, which is causing the delay. Although the Minister of State did not say this explicitly, the previous Minister did. What is happening is the message is being sent to An Bord Pleanála, in particular, that this is not a major issue of importance to the Government because there has been no effort on its part to update the regulations in this area. There has been a mad rush to get planning applications in and we continue to see that. The Minister of State must also see this. Why is the Department so slow when the industry is so quick? That is what is going on.

It would be well within the senior Minister's entitlement under section 28 to issue a direction to county councils and An Bord Pleanála asking them to cease accepting applications until guidelines are introduced. That would be a reasonable compromise for everyone to ensure no planning decisions are made during this process. We have asked for this on numerous occasions and there is no doubt guidance could be issued in this regard under section 28. That should be considered because what is happening is not fair. Young couples trying to build a house in these areas are put through the mill in the context of rules and regulations with which they must comply. Some people wish there was a gap in the regulations for young families trying to build a house in rural Ireland but there is not. Regulations are strictly applied to them and that is not the case in respect of wind turbines.

As I am sure the Minister will see from the submissions that have been made, his predecessor's proposals do not go far enough. When the finalised guidelines are published, they will have to go much further. In the meantime, it is well within the Minister's gift to cease the processing of applications while they are decided.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I note the Senator's comments but I remind him that the current guidelines were adopted as recently as 2006. The Government recognises that they need to be reviewed and that is what we are doing. We have consulted widely with all stakeholders in this regard. We have received 7,500 submissions and, therefore, it is wrong to state the Government is making no effort. We are making every effort. We are carefully considering all the submissions and taking everything into account, including the advice of the Attorney General, because we need to be sure that everything we do in the context of the guidelines is constitutional. Ultimately, it is a decision of the planning authority, whether it is the local authority or An Bord Pleanála, to make those decisions. We will publish revised wind farm guidelines as soon as possible and I expect some progress on them in the near future.

Senator Thomas Byrne

The guidelines are being revised because the turbines are unprecedented. They did not exist when the 2006 guidelines were introduced.

School Completion Programme

Senator Hildegarde Naughton

I thank the Minister for being present. The school completion programme is a targeted support service for pupils in DEIS schools. It is targeted at pupils at risk of not benefiting appropriately from education due to economic or social advantage. This is most apparent in early school leavers and those with poor attendance or a lack of achievement relative to their peers. The programme has been successful in addressing these issues since it was established in 2002.

It was funded and directed by the Department of Education and Skills. In 2010 the SCP was brought under the remit of the National Educational Welfare Board and it moved to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. From 1 January 2014, the SCP was brought into the newly established Child and Family Agency, Tusla, and forms part of the educational welfare service of the agency along with the educational welfare officers and the home-school liaison scheme. The programme supports 36,000 young people in schools. It is the only service within the three strands of the educational welfare service of Tusla that works on the ground in schools to support the most marginalised and vulnerable children in the education system.

I was contacted by a representative of the local management committee of the Galway city east school completion programme who wished to highlight the impact of continual budget cuts to the programme and specifically on its project which supports targeted students in seven DEIS schools on the east side of Galway city: Scoil na Trionoide Naofa, Mervue; St. Michael's national school, Mervue; Scoil San Phroinsías, Tirellan; Scoil Chaitríona junior and senior, Renmore; Castlegar national school; and Galway Community College.

Between 2008 and 2014, the Galway city east completion programme lost 22% of its funding due to continual reductions in budget allocation. The figure nationally is 33% in overall funding reduction. In the Galway city east area in 2013 and 2014, the project was forced to reduce staffing from September 2013. The hours of the most junior project workers were reduced from 35 to 20 hours per week and four part-time homework club assistants, three of whom had been employed by the project since 2006, were made redundant. This resulted in 38 fewer targeted students during 2013 and 2014 compared with the previous year. Some 48 fewer places were available to targeted students for homework support and it was no longer possible to provide 80 places on its two-week long summer camps.

There remains strong demand for this service nationally. While I accept that with the near bankruptcy of the country very difficult decisions had to be made, I now ask the Minister to commit to looking at this service again. The school completion programme is under enormous pressure. One of the main concerns is that since the programme was incorporated within the Child and Family Agency, the budget it brought with it was not ring-fenced. This is causing huge unease within the scheme for those charged with delivering the service nationally. It is simply impossible to have certainty about programmes or to plan effectively without having a ring-fenced budget. I therefore ask the Minister to look again at the area with a view to increasing the funding if possible and at least to ensure that where moneys are available to the service that they are ring-fenced for the school completion programme.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy James Reilly)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. As she rightly said, the school completion programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to improve the school attendance, participation and retention of its target cohort generally. It is a targeted intervention aimed at those school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills's DEIS action plan for educational inclusion. It involves 124 locally managed projects and related initiatives operating across 470 primary and 224 post primary schools to provide targeted supports to approximately 36,000 children and young people.

Since 1 January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has had operational responsibility for the school completion programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, an allocation of €24.756 million has been provided for the school completion programme. The programme is one of three service strands within the continuum of education welfare service being implemented by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to support children, their families and schools. The other service strands are the home-school-community liaison scheme and the educational welfare service.

The agency has approved local projects' school retention plans for the 2014-15 academic year. The amount provided for 2014-15 for the school completion programme takes account of the savings requirements in the comprehensive review of expenditure for 2012 to 2014. The first two instalments of 2014-15 funding issued to local projects in September and December, and a third instalment is due in May 2015.

The Estimate for the Child and Family Agency for 2015 is €631 million, a 4.3% increase on its 2014 allocation.

The Department recently issued a performance statement to the agency under section 45 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. It includes my priorities for consideration in the development of the agency's 2015 business plan. The business plan will set out the agency’s proposed activities, programmes and priorities for 2015, including provision for the school completion programme in the light of the moneys available. A review of the school completion programme has commenced. The review is an important initiative in planning for the future development of the programme. It is anticipated that the review will assist in identifying the reforms necessary to consolidate the programme on a sustainable footing for the future and to ensure it is in line with the aims of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the 2014-20 national policy framework for children and young people.

The aim is to ensure available funds are targeted at those services that provide the greatest contribution to good educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. The review will, among other things, examine the school completion programme structures and how they can best support an integrated approach to address early school leaving. It will analyse the interventions provided and make recommendations for evidence and formal supports designed to secure the best educational outcomes for young people. The plan for the review includes arrangements to capture the views of a range of stakeholders, including staff and all those involved in the organisation and administration of the school completion programme. It includes a survey to gather the views of project co-ordinators and chairpersons of the 124 local school completion programme projects throughout the country, case studies of projects involving staff and participating schools in interviews with national stakeholders who have a direct interest in the programme.

Preliminary information gathered on it indicates that the school completion programme encompasses a broad and diverse range of measures and interventions that have been developed by local projects during the years. I hope that following the review, we will be in a better position to learn more about the most successful of these and to share that learning across the school completion programme for the greater benefit of all the children participating. It is envisaged that the review will be completed during the 2014-15 academic year.

Senator Hildegarde Naughton

I thank the Minister for his response and welcome the review. It is important that we study programmes, how they work and how we can target vulnerable young people living within the community. The major concern for those who do this work in communities is the fear that if they do not have a ring-fenced budget, if they are part of another organisation and there are demands in other areas, money may be siphoned off to meet other demands. We all appreciate the need for efficiencies and to make sure programmes are run effectively with the best outcomes for students and young people. The primary concern is that by being brought under the Child and Family Agency and because of the fact that there is no targeted, ring-fenced budget the scheme will lose out. That is the bottom line and I would appreciate it if the Minister responded to this point. I know that a review is taking place, but many of the people doing great work under the scheme would be very relieved if they could get some commitment that the budget for it would be ring-fenced.

Deputy James Reilly

There have been articles in the media about the school completion programme funding and the reductions in funding that have taken place in recent years. Media coverage has focused particularly on the ability of some local school completion programme projects to provide school breakfasts and more generally the impact on school attendance. The Child and Family Agency works closely with local management committees, schools and local school completion programme co-ordinators to assist projects to deliver their services to young people in disadvantaged areas having regard to the resources available to them. It is important to note that it is a matter for the local school completion programme projects and individual schools to determine the range of supports they prioritise for pupils within the resources made available to them under the programme. The aim of the review is to examine those things that work well and those that do not work so well to see if they could be improved and ensure the money is spent in a way that gives maximum benefit for the children and achieves our goal of keeping as many children as possible in school for as long as possible in order that they can complete their education and reach their full potential.

The review will look at what works well and examine what does not work so well and see if it can be improved. It is also to ensure the money is spent in a way that gives maximum benefit to the children and achieves our goal of keeping as many children in school for as long as possible so that they can complete their education and reach their full potential. The review has been carried out by the ESRI so it brings a degree of independence and rigour in which we can all have confidence. It is not intended to be used as a way of reducing the funding of these programmes but rather to ensure we get the maximum benefit for children from them.

Sitting suspended at 3.20 p.m. and resumed at 3.40 p.m.

Seanad Éireann debate - Tuesday, 27 Jan 2015