Topical Issue Debate

Sports Funding

Deputy Ruth Coppinger

We have all been following the revelations this week regarding the treatment of the national women's soccer team. I believe negotiations have taken place and some matters have been resolved but I commend the players for bringing this to public attention. It just goes to show when people link with a union and bring issues to public attention the progress that can be made quickly. However, a broader issue has been revealed, which is the discrimination against, and unequal treatment of, women in sport generally, both nationally and internationally.

I used to coach a basketball team when I was a teacher and the practice was that teachers would bring home the squad's kit to wash. The kit would be shared among the various teams. It seems our national women's soccer team was not treated much better having to change in toilets and taking off their tracksuits to give to the underage teams. There is still a massive difference in the remuneration of women and men. I understand the women were seeking €300 per match appearance whereas the senior men receive approximately €5,000 per game.

Many surveys highlight that female athletes are covered less in the media now than they were in 1989. We are subsidising RTE. Will the Minister of State launch an investigation into the coverage of women's sports by the national broadcaster? In the US, women's sports receive 3.2% of network coverage although in some cases it is only 2%. However, many of the television channels use the ubiquitous evolving rolling ticker at the bottom of the screen to justify coverage of women's sport. Much of the coverage is sexist referring to their looks and appearance and it idealises their ability to juggle family and sport. One tennis player was asked by a commentator recently to give a twirl to show what she was wearing. That is the way women can be treated when they participate in sport.

With regard to funding of sports bodies, will the Minister of State call any of them to account regarding the amount they give to women's sports? This is not just about gender discrimination; it is also a health issue. How is it attractive for young girls to continue in their chosen sport if they know they will be treated as second or third class citizens? There is a problem with girls participating in sports in their teenage years and beyond. Why would they when their participation is not valued at all by society? There is a health issue for girls. The Minister of State should call the sports bodies to account in this regard.

The prize fund for the World Cup was €576 million whereas the prize fund for the Women's World Cup was €15 million, or 40 times less. The men's World Cup winning team received $35 million whereas the women's winners received $2 billion. The winning team in the men's UEFA Champions League receives €15 million while the winning women's team receives €250,000 or 60 times less.

In 2015, the State gave €2.96 million to the GAA but only €384,655 was given to the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and €387,000 to the Camogie Association. Much less funding goes to women's sports and the Minister of State should take this up with the association.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Patrick O'Donovan)

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the events of the past few days. Like most Members, I am delighted the issues between the women's teams and the FAI have been resolved, training has recommenced and the scheduled match will go ahead next Monday evening. I wish the team the best of luck.

Over the past number of years, we have seen huge strides being made by our women's international soccer team and I wish them the best of luck.

I understand all of the issues raised by the women's team have been successfully resolved following mediation last night. I made contact yesterday morning with Sport Ireland and the FAI and I encouraged both to facilitate mediation. I was delighted it was availed off by all parties without preconditions and that the matters have been resolved.

It is disappointing the dispute between the team and the FAI happened in the first place but I am pleased that it has now been resolved. It is important that woman and girls are encouraged to participate in sport and I am fully supportive of the existing programmes in place aimed at increasing female participation in sport. Football plays an important role in that regard. Women’s participation in football has been growing in recent years and I know it will continue. Since the launch of the FAI's women’s development plan in 2006, the number of registered players in the women’s game has grown from 12,500 to more than 23,000. It is a clear indication of the huge increase and interest in women’s football and I have no doubt the part played by the women’s national team and members of that squad acting as ambassadors and role models has been a huge factor in the growth in participation.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the team on securing fourth spot in the Cyprus Cup last month, their highest ever finish in a tournament.

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department as a statutory agency, provides funding to the FAI from its youth field sports programme and its women in sport programme, which I launched yesterday for 2017. Funding of €2.7 million was provided to the FAI last year. Youth field sports funding is aimed at increasing participation in football by young people, both boys and girls. The women in sport funding is for the grassroots development of specific programmes in women’s football and funds participation initiatives for women. The FAI's individual programmes are aimed at encouraging young girls aged between seven and 12 to play football. The programme has been a major factor in the increase in the number of young girls participating in recent years. Over 130 soccer sisters camps will be taking place around the country during the upcoming Easter school holidays. We have seen programmes like these with the GAA cúl camps. Programmes like this are a great way to get young girls involved in sport and I commend the FAI for the work it is doing.

Since this Government came into office, we have put a number of initiatives in place such as funding for the women's GPA. References were made to women's sports in general. Funding is now in place when it previously was not. The Women's Rugby World Cup is coming up in the summer. I will use the opportunity to promote that and hope people engage in it. We have also seen improvements in the broadcast of women's sports, particularly in the Women's Six Nations. This has to be welcomed.

Reference was made to the GAA. I remind the Deputy the GAA has responsibility for handball and underage hurling and football in our schools and it does not discriminate between boys and girls. Many clubs across the country have, at underage level such as under-eights, under-tens and under-12s, boys and girls playing together. The GAA has a programme for the development of women in the sport. It needs to be acknowledged in terms of the overall contribution the GAA makes. The IRFU has a similar situation as do most of the national governing bodies that come under the umbrella of Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland has specific programmes for the development of women's sports, the funding of which we announced yesterday. The allocations will be made through the national governing bodies.

Deputy Ruth Coppinger

Does the Minister of State find it acceptable that the head of the FAI is apparently on a salary of €360,000 yet failed to engage and did not want to engage at all with representatives of the women players for a number of years? The Minister of State is saying it is great that it was sorted out. Is there not some responsibility on him as Minister of State to call the FAI to account for its treatment of these players over a long period of time? They should not have had to go public. They should not have had to do what they did. It obviously took a huge amount of work. It did not just happen with the press conference. They should not have had to threaten to go on strike. It validates the power of withdrawing labour and the reason why people resort to it. Does the Minister of State not think the FAI has to be called to account for its finances in general? There have been ongoing issues with what seems to be first class travel by the top executives while the players are stuck in economy class. It also happened with the men's team but obviously it would be even worse for the women's team.

There are a number of broader issues here. We know there is gender inequality in sport. It is massive. My daughter has often asked me why they never show women playing sport on television. How is it possible to encourage daughters to take part in sport when they see they are not valued? RTE's director general mooted the idea of doubling the TV licence as something she would like to do. We see very few women in TV coverage generally but even fewer in sport. Does the Minister of State have any concerns about that? Will he propose anything?

Deputy Patrick O'Donovan

We do not run RTE. Contrary to some political parties' aspirations that we should control the national broadcaster, we do not. RTE has made strides over the past number of years to promote the broadcast of women's sports, particularly in the area of the GAA. One can hear it if one turns on the radio any Saturday or Sunday and follows Sunday Sport. The Deputy should tune into it. On the overall-----

Deputy Ruth Coppinger

The Minister of State's patronising answers are a real insult.

Deputy Patrick O'Donovan

Just in-----

Women's sport is to the fore of my agenda in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is to the fore of Sport Ireland, which is the statutory agency with responsibility for it. The sports monitor report was published previously. I have heard no one calling for a debate in this House, neither the Deputy nor anyone else, about why it is that 16 year old girls are falling off the cliff of participation. If the Deputy is so anxious to have a debate on sport in Ireland, let us have it. She could start by deciding what policy she will formulate rather than just the usual wave of negativity.

Deputy Ruth Coppinger

The Minister of State is personalising it.

Schools Building Projects Status

Deputy Brendan Smith

For considerable time I have been raising, through correspondence to the Department and parliamentary questions, the need to progress the proposed building project for the Holy Family special school in Cootehill. It is extremely important that the project to provide additional permanent accommodation should be progressed without further delay. I am privileged to be very familiar with this school, having visited the premises for different events on numerous occasions. I appreciate the work of Rachel Moynagh, the principal and all her staff, colleagues, successive boards of management and parents' associations. There is a real school community for the Holy Family. This project has the support of all Oireachtas Members and county councillors throughout Cavan-Monaghan.

For some time the Department has accepted this major building project for the Holy Family school is a priority to progress to tender and construction stage. The project was authorised to proceed to complete stage 2B of architectural planning on 31 January 2017. The initial feasibility study for this new school accommodation was carried out in 2002 and the design team was appointed in 2006. For various reasons delays have occurred. Increased enrolments and changes to the schedules of accommodation were some of the reasons cited at the time for delays occurring in the early stages of the planning process. It was back to the drawing board on a number of occasions. Very importantly, since 2002, the school population has doubled in size and school facilities are totally inadequate to meet the needs of the pupils. Currently the school is on two sites and the pupils attending the White Star complex in Market Street in the town lose considerable time when they go to the main building for lunch.

They must travel by bus. Lack of space in both buildings is a major issue. For example, one class is in the PE storeroom and includes four wheelchair users.

The board of management does not want to have to introduce waiting lists for the first time in the school's history. It is the only such school in Cavan-Monaghan. If it is not possible to accommodate all children who need to attend the Holy Family Special School, serious problems will arise for those with moderate, severe and-or profound disabilities in counties Cavan and Monaghan. Children who need to attend this school must not be deprived of that opportunity.

Over the years, successive parents associations and boards of management have been supportive of the principal and staff in fund-raising for the school and participating in numerous events and activities involving all of the school community. The board and its professional advisers are anxious that the Minister and his Department should permit it without further delay to start the pre-qualification of contractors and let construction commence during 2017.

Regarding the growth in enrolments, there were 14 school leavers in the 2015-16 year whereas there were 34 school admissions. This school was started more than 50 years ago. One of our predecessors in the House, Dr. Rory O'Hanlon, was one of its founding members. It is important that the Minister gives the go ahead to ensure that construction commences during 2017. The school sought and was granted planning permission last year for temporary accommodation that would enable it to move site this summer so that construction could start on the main site before the end of the year. The board of management, the parents' association and the wider school community are frustrated by the delays. It is important that the requisite approval be issued at the earliest possible date.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Bernard J. Durkan)

I will allow Deputy Smyth a brief intervention.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I support my colleague in calling on the Minister to approve this project. It is a unique and important school for Cavan and Monaghan that caters for pupils between the ages of four and 18 years and is located in Cootehill, which we like to call the hub of education, given how it lies on the Cavan-Monaghan border and provides for that catchment area. Its pupils have severe and profound learning difficulties, moderate and multiple learning disabilities, and-or autism. On Monday, there were major protests across the country regarding access to services for parents and, more importantly, special needs students.

The project is an important infrastructural one that needs to happen. The Department has gone some way in that regard, but its approval is necessary if the project is to proceed. As Deputy Brendan Smith just outlined, teachers have to travel between various locations across Cootehill to do their normal day's work. I support his call for movement on this matter.

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton)

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. The school is successful and no one doubts its quality. As Deputy Brendan Smith stated, it saw a dramatic increase in enrolments.

I have examined the history of the project. To be fair, the delay has been for good reason, in that the board of management requested the addition of five permanent classrooms, increasing the school's size from 21 classrooms. This meant that the design needed to be amended and a fresh planning application had to be obtained, given that the floor area was increasing to 5,300 sq. m. A replacement consultant mechanical and electrical engineer also had to be appointed to the design team.

The school raised the issue of how the children would be decanted. The original plan would have entailed two phases and the decant would not have been on the same scale, but there will now be a total decant of the school. A design for that has been approved and will form part of the overall contract.

The Department is awaiting the stage 2B submission from the school. Moving to that detailed design stage was approved in January. The Department must receive and assess the submission. Deputy Brendan Smith suggested that contractors be pre-qualified before that point. I will ask my Department whether that is feasible, but I imagine that the design would have to be defined before pre-qualification could occur. Perhaps that is not the case, but I will check it out for the Deputy.

As soon as the school's submission is received, we will attempt to move on it as quickly as possible. The process requires departmental evaluation and its various elements have to be completed so as to ensure the design will deliver as intended, but I assure the Deputies that the Department will assign considerable priority to this project in view of the school's value and the urgency to which they have drawn my attention.

Deputy Brendan Smith

I thank the Minister for his positive response. As he rightly pointed out, one cause for the delay was the Department's understandable changing of the schedules of accommodation at schools for pupils with special needs. Subsequently, the increased enrolment meant that we had to go back to the drawing board. The situation has been frustrating for those of us who have been supporting the project over a number of years. We all believed that we were close to construction stage. This time last year, it was strongly indicated that construction would commence during the course of 2017 and Cavan County Council expeditiously approved the planning application for temporary accommodation to facilitate the total relocation while construction commenced on the new building. The board of management, the parents' association and the wider school community were planning on moving to the new temporary location this summer.

I hope the Minister will speak with the officials in his Department's building unit and give the school's professional advisers the necessary approval so the initial procurement of contractors process can commence. I understand this is necessary and would ensure that no further delays would occur.

As the Minister rightly pointed out, the school has a proud record and has experienced phenomenal growth. Like other public representatives who have visited it, I know that space there is tight, to put it mildly. The fact that its children are on two different sites is not good enough. They must return to the main building at lunch time, which costs good, valuable school time.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank the Minister for his positive response. It was not long ago that he was in Kingscourt visiting our new ETB school, Coláiste Dún an Rí, which we look forward to being open, so he knows that we make good use of money when it comes in our constituency's direction.

Deputy Richard Bruton

I will take up that point. My understanding is that the decant plan forms part of the main contract and is not a separate contract. It is not an option for the Department to undertake the decant piece, which I understand has planning permission in respect of two modular prefabricated single storey buildings, except as part of the entire contract. The two parts must move together. Approval for the entire piece at stage 2B will be necessary. We do not have the option of taking one piece separately. However, the school will be a priority once that approval has been granted. The situation increases the urgency of the case, but we cannot move on one piece before overall approval has been granted.

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for coming to the House to deal with this matter, which I am disappointed to have to raise on the floor of the Dáil but I have exhausted every other avenue open to me.

This issue relates to a child called Emily who will be six years old in June. Emily was brain damaged at birth. She cannot walk, talk, eat or do anything for herself. She is also incontinent. Emily's hearing is exceptionally good but her sight is not. She attends school in Dungarvan and she is looked after very well in St. John's on a weekly basis. Emily lives at home with her mum, her dad and her three-year-old brother. She has to be lifted multiple times a day and, if sick, she has to be lifted a great deal more. She has a standing appliance, a walker, a comfort chair and a wheelchair but she needs to be lifted and carried from these appliances several times a day. She also requires physiotherapy every day as her hands are permanently fisted and her hips are very tight and rigid. Emily has no freedom of movement and her muscles spasm regularly so physiotherapy is vital to her in her life. Ideally this should be done on a flat surface and so Emily's mum normally does it on the floor. However, her mum is no longer able to lift Emily from the floor as she now has severe back pain.

Emily's needs are a constant physical strain on her family. As I said, her physiotherapy is now carried out while she is on a bed, which unfortunately is not as beneficial or effective but the family has no choice. Emily's mum has been fighting for a ceiling hoist for Emily since last summer. A floor hoist was offered by the HSE but it will not work for the family because it will not fit into Emily's room. Emily's mum advised the HSE that the floor hoist would not work. She understands that the ceiling hoist is more expensive - it is approximately double the €1,300 cost of the floor hoist, at €2,700 - and she is willing to meet some of the cost. We have hit a brick wall. Regardless of where we turn the answer continues to be that the floor hoist is the only appliance that can be provided for Emily. To add to this, the liaison nurse who attends the family and Emily has been advised by her employers, the HSE, not to lift Emily and so she is no longer attending her. This is extremely upsetting for Emily and her family.

As I said, I take no pleasure in raising this matter on the floor of the House. I acknowledge that there is a lot of good work being done but we are continually meeting a brick wall on this matter. A ceiling hoist, that would run from the bedroom to the bathroom, would enable Emily to be easily moved to and from all of her appliances. This would make life so much easier for her family. Approximately €14 billion is spent annually on the health budget. The amount required for this ceiling hoist is not huge. I accept the HSE is under constraint in terms of its budget. The HSE has not refused this hoist on health and safety grounds. I was actually told by a HSE employee to apply to Waterford City and County Council for a grant for the hoist. In my view, it is passing responsibility for this matter to Waterford City and County Council and it is not its responsibility.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Catherine Byrne)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris. I thank Deputy Butler for raising this issue. Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. The HSE has statutory responsibility for the provision of services for people with intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities or autism and their carers. These services include basic health services such as medical cards, prescribed drugs and medicines, medical and surgical aids and appliances, hospital services, dental services, optical services and aural services. The HSE funds a range of community services and supports to enable each individual with a disability to achieve his or her full potential and maximise independence. Services are provided in a variety of community and residential settings in partnership with service users, their families and carers and a range of statutory, non-statutory, voluntary and community groups. Voluntary agencies provide the majority of services in partnership with and on behalf of the HSE.

With the Deputy's permission, as she is already aware of much of the information provided, I will skip a couple of paragraphs.

Deputy Mary Butler

That is fine.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

In respect of the specific case identified by the Deputy, in subsequent correspondence today with officials in the Department of Health and following consultation with the HSE, I am informed of the following. It is the responsibility of the prescribing clinician to ensure that a comprehensive assessment relevant to each service user’s needs is completed prior to prescribing an item of equipment. The child concerned was clinically assessed by a HSE occupational therapist in Waterford Community Services and it was determined that a standard hoist would meet her needs. A standard hoist has been offered by the HSE to the child’s family. However, it is understood that they have indicated a preference for a ceiling track hoist. Ceiling hoist systems are not generally available through the HSE Waterford Aids and Appliances. The occupational therapist has advised the child’s family of its options and will continue to engage and support the family in relation to ensuring the child’s ongoing health needs are met.

I am further informed that the HSE is also available to discuss and support the family in relation to its equipment needs within the terms of the schemes available and I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy as a matter of urgency. I am happy to respond further to any questions from the Deputy.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The installation of a ceiling hoist would make such a difference to Emily and her family. It would mean that Emily would not be in so much pain and neither would her mum. Also, the house would be a safer environment for Emily and her family. At the end of the day, this child is in the care of the State but she is also in the care of her parents. If she had to be put into State care it would cost a fortune. Emily's parents are doing their utmost for her every day of the week. This is a funding issue. The ceiling hoist is not being refused on health and safety grounds.

The Minister of State mentioned in her reply that ceiling hoist systems are not generally available through HSE Waterford Aids and Appliances but they are available in other counties. I cannot understand that. Why this item, which would make Emily's life and that of her parents so much easier, cannot be given to her does not make sense in this day and age. It is a sad reflection of the society we are living in that a brain damaged child who cannot walk, talk, eat or speak and is incontinent is being refused a ceiling track hoist that would make her life a little easier. As I said earlier, I take no pleasure in having to raise this matter in the Dáil. It is wrong that I have to raise on the floor of the Dáil the provision of equipment for a child, which should be a fundamental right. All Emily's parents want is a normal happy life with their two children, one of whom is, unfortunately, brain damaged. It would make life so much easier on them to have a ceiling hoist installed. I have also raised this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath. I am appealing to all involved to ensure that common sense prevails such that this child can have a ceiling track hoist installed in her home thereby making her life, which is tough enough as it is, that little bit easier.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I will bring the remarks made by the Deputy in her opening statement, particularly that the floor hoist offered would not fit into the child's room, to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Harris. I do not think the cost of a piece of equipment should inhibit any child having a proper standard of health service within his or her home. I do not think a cost of €2,700 is a huge amount. Unfortunately, I am not an occupational therapist and I must be guided by the reply for the HSE. According to the occupational therapist the hoist offered is adequate. However, I take on board the specifics of the case highlighted by the Deputy, particularly that the mother and the liaison nurse are not able to lift the child, and I will bring them to the attention of the Minister and I will ask him to deal with the matter as quickly as possible. I am taken aback by the Deputy's statement that in other areas this funding would be made available.

Youth Services

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

I do not know whether the Minister of State has ever had an opportunity to visit my home town of Rathangan in County Kildare.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I have.

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

That is good because I was going to invite her to visit. Perhaps she will visit the town again another time.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Bernard J. Durkan)

I have been there too.

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

As the Minister of State and the Acting Chairman both know from visiting Rathangan, it is a very vibrant and close-knit community. It is a small town of just over 2,000 people with a very strong community spirit. Over the years, we have had more than our fair share of tough times and tribulations. It has had a high level of unemployment and it continues to have a high level of disadvantage, as evidenced by the fact that all three schools in the town have DEIS status. The two primary schools in Rathangan are the only two schools in the county that do not have a NEPS service. Generally speaking, the town has been able to come together to deal with many of the issues it faces. The fabulous new community centre, which was built with the help of County Kildare Leader Partnership, Kildare County Council and the local community, has certainly been a welcome investment in the town. It is the home of the local youth café, which is used by the Scooters youth club, Foróige and other groups that wish to avail of it.

I would like to refer to the bad times we have come through in Rathangan. In 2012, we suffered the devastating loss of five young men over a very short period. As Deputies can imagine, this was a particularly high number of fatalities in the context of the population of the town. Although the people of the town were devastated, they came together as a community with the assistance of Kildare Youth Services, County Kildare Leader Partnership, local schools and local community activists, including myself. We got a very good response from the HSE, which funded a part-time youth counsellor and a part-time youth worker, who have been working very closely with young people in the community ever since. Since 31 March, the services of the youth counsellor are no longer being provided. We have been told that by the end of April, the services of the youth worker will no longer be provided. I understand that a review is being carried out by the HSE.

I would like to make an appeal to the Minister of State. The local community will be totally let down if these vital services, which have given huge support to the younger members of our community, in particular, are withdrawn. When I looked at the census figures this morning, it was evident that County Kildare has one of the highest youth populations in the country. There was a big fanfare last week when, thankfully, Tusla granted another youth worker to Kildare. It is simply not good enough for the State to give with one hand through one agency and to take away with the other hand through a different agency the following week.

Deputy Pat Buckley

I thank Deputy O'Loughlin for raising this issue as well. I will try not to be repetitive. Scooters youth club was established in Rathangan in 1996 and has flourished with the support of the local community and local businesses since then. It meets the specific need for such services in this rural part of County Kildare. Approximately 50 young people access youth services in the town, including those provided by Foróige. As Deputy O'Loughlin informed the House, a youth café was established in Rathangan recently. Most importantly, Scooters youth club has provided a much-needed community response to the deaths of young people that were mentioned by Deputy O'Loughlin, for example, by building youth counselling services with a focus on mental health and well-being. The youth counselling service has ceased and the services of the youth worker who was allocated to the club for 19 hours a week are set to cease at the end of the month. This cut will reduce opening hours by 82% to just four hours a week, which is absolutely shocking.

Kildare Youth Services believes these cuts in funding will have a serious impact in the local area, which is already geographically isolated. The limited transport service in the area makes it more difficult for young people to seek HSE-led services outside Rathangan. When the national task force on mental health was established by the Government, it was stated that its aim was to bring youth mental health to the fore through our education system. The Government also made much of its claim that it would prioritise mental health. We need to be realistic. Young people deserve this service. The young people for whom these services were put in place have probably grown up, but a new generation with new challenges has come along. The removal of these services at this time is like pulling the plug out of a bath after it has been filled up and expecting it not to empty. Prevention is better than cure. If these resources are removed now, they will be even more desperately needed in the future. Those involved with Scooters youth club have made the reasonable request to be part of the conversation about what happens to the club's resources. They were not consulted. They want the young people in the area to be asked about this, which is very important. Consultation should happen. Under no circumstances should these resources be removed.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I will read the reply that has been given to me on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, but I do not know whether it will satisfy the Deputies.

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

I would say it will not.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

In the 1970s and 1980s, I had the privilege of bringing children from my own local youth club on holidays to Rathangan on many occasions. As a result, I know Rathangan very well. We were always well accepted by the community even though we were from the inner city. We always gelled with the people there. It was a lovely place to go. Even though it was not a very long drive to Rathangan, for many children from the inner city it felt like they were going to the other side of the world. I have been familiar with Rathangan for many years and I continue to be familiar with it.

After I have read the response that has been prepared on behalf of the Minister of State, I will reply to some of the issues that have been raised by the Deputies on the basis of the notes I have taken. The HSE has indicated that funding to Kildare Youth Services will not be cut this year. Kildare Youth Services, in consultation with the HSE, will review the current provision of services in Rathangan. As the Deputies indicated, this initiative was funded as a result of a number of suicides in the area and as an acknowledgment of the lack of relevant supports and services to young people in the community generally. The funding will be reviewed to enable equity of access to other groups across the Kildare region and to ensure that those who most need services can access them.

The HSE is providing funding to Kildare Youth Services for a counsellor and a youth worker in Rathangan to provide dedicated youth counselling sessions to individuals and groups in the town. This is being done as part of an inter-agency approach to the promotion of positive mental health, involving community leaders, schools, parents and students. The agencies in question include the HSE, Kildare Youth Services, County Kildare Leader Partnership, the Garda, Kildare County Council and Mental Health Ireland. The objectives of this initiative were to establish contact with individuals, families and community-based organisations, especially in estates and localities where residents and families may experience social exclusion or feel disconnected from the wider Rathangan community. It developed links with local service providers, including schools and relevant statutory services, to assist in the initial contact programme and to co-ordinate appropriate agency interventions based on identified local needs. Kildare Youth Services is a voluntary organisation providing a range of development and learning opportunities and services throughout the county to respond to the changing needs of young people, families and communities. It supports personal and social development and positively promotes the rights of these groups. The HSE is funding Kildare Youth Services to provide a counsellor and a youth worker in Rathangan. The youth worker, who works part-time three days each week, runs groups for young people between the ages of 11 and 18. I know some of this might be irrelevant now.

In 2015, the Government launched Connecting for Life, which is the national strategy to reduce suicide and self-harm over the period from 2015 to 2020. The strategy sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and well-being on many fronts. It provides community-based organisations with guidelines, protocols and training on effective suicide prevention. One of the main goals of Connecting for Life is to target approaches among priority groups, including young people. This objective, along with the type of work being undertaken by this particular service in Rathangan, is complemented in a wider sense by the ongoing work of the national task force on youth mental health, which was established by this Government. This has brought together different perspectives and insights from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors and is operating as an action-oriented, decision-making group focused on making improvements and getting things done. An overriding objective of the task force, which is chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, is to identify areas where services and supports could be provided in a more integrated way. I have listened to the Deputies and I will respond to what they have said in my concluding remarks.

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

I thank Deputy Buckley for his support on this important issue. I assume that when the Minister of State came to Rathangan in previous years with youth groups, they stayed at the camp in Killinthomas Wood.

I am glad she got a great welcome and she would continue to receive such a welcome, in particular if she helps us with this very pertinent issue. We are having a community event on 30 April at 2 p.m., and she would be very welcome.

I read and heard the response of the Minister of State, and I am trying to understand what it means because, to be perfectly honest, it is a non-response. We have been given a history of some of the strategic responses to suicide and self-harm. While excellent and important work has been done, I do not see anything in here that will help the particular situation to which I referred.

I suggest that we set up a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, the volunteers and community. I want to pay particular tribute to the volunteers, including Lisa, Kevin, Debbie, Leo, Pat and others, who have put in Trojan work in working with the young people of Rathangan in a voluntary capacity. They have taken on different community projects. I dread to think what will happen to the youth cafe which, thanks to the State and funding from Kildare County Council, has been provided.

It is ridiculous that the State would provide one level of support but not another. When the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, published her strategy on youth cafes she said it is extremely important that there be professional support for young people. I am disappointed with the answer. I plead with the Minister of State to tread carefully and convey a message to the Minister of State and HSE when she is thinking of reducing or relocating any services for the young people of Rathangan.

The service is running a programme to allow young people to become leaders. One youth leader, Evan, said: "There is not enough people harming themselves in Rathangan. Is that why they took away the services? Do more people have to die in order for us to get services in Rathangan?" Essentially, the service has, thankfully, worked. Since 2012 we have not had any more young suicides. Why take away resources when the project is working? I plead with the Minister of State to bring a message back to the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee.

Deputy Pat Buckley

I echo the words of Deputy O'Loughlin. The Minister of State's answer referred to funding. Funding for the youth sector has been cut by 28.5% since 2008. This is a much wider issue than Rathangan and Kildare. It is a national issue.

The Minister of State and the Government need to be honest and fund these services into the future. They are not emergency measures. Rather, they are the absolute minimum that must be provided to allow young people to flourish. As I told the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, this is a national problem which is prevalent not just in youth centres but also schools.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, recently received a letter from a young lady in my town, Jessica Daly. The letter will tell the House what is happening with young people in this country. Jessica said: "I come from a town called Midleton in Cork which once held the highest suicide rate in Europe... Please can you give our schools compulsory class[es] all about mental health."

It is clear that not enough is being done to tackle this issue and something has to be done. I do not want to talk about this issue in the House every day. This involves our young people, who are our future.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I understand the frustration of the Deputies. I am not familiar with the situation. Is the new youth worker from Tusla or is the youth worker leaving on 31 March?

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin

The youth worker was only sanctioned last week. The person has not been appointed and has not started.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I come from a community and voluntary background and I know how important it is to provide youth services, in particular youth cafes and clubs. None of that could happen without volunteers. I wish to acknowledge that many people in communities across the country are volunteering, but we cannot leave them on their own.

I will relay the message from the Deputies to the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee. I would love to go back to Rathangan. I do not think I would bring 60 children with me again. When I read the Official Report tomorrow, I will have more insight into some of the questions the Deputies asked and I will revert to them.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Thursday, 6 Apr 2017