Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Mar 2025

Vol. 1064 No. 7

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

International Protection

Deputy Joe Neville

I am the first speaker since yesterday's events. It is nice to be able to speak in a proper forum. After what happened yesterday, business continues.

The item I will speak about is local to me. It is Ryevale House, which is a period house in Leixlip and in the past two years there have been major issues surrounding it in the locality. I will give a quick timeline to give the Minister of State a bit of perspective. On 27 January 2023, the Department informed the local public representatives of the intention to accommodate international protection, IP, applicants in Ryevale House, which is a private dwelling built in the 18th century and included in the record of protected structures maintained by Kildare County Council. On 2 February 2023, I was in the group of members of the Ryevale Lawns Residents' Association that met then Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, in Leinster House, and explained that the use of Ryevale House, which is a private dwelling and protected structure, would be in breach of planning legislation. Kildare County Council issued a determination under section 5 that the change in use and development was not an exempted development and required planning permission. That was more than two years ago today. Kildare County Council issued a formal warning letter to the developer and has continued to deal with the development along those lines.

On 31 March 2023, the Department wrote to the residents' association stating that it disagreed with Kildare County Council and ultimately that it would be wrong. On 2 June 2023, Kildare County Council referred the question to An Bord Pleanála. Although it took a long time - a year and five months - on 5 November 2024, An Bord Pleanála confirmed that the change of use of Ryevale House to IP accommodation and the related works are both developments that are not exempted for the purpose of the Planning and Development Acts. Thus, Kildare County Council and An Bord Pleanála back up the residents' association, which shows what is going on is in contravention of our planning rules.

As a councillor, I always knew, looked at and worked with our planning rules. They are the basis of all developments in County Kildare and across the country. We have to fundamentally look at them and continue to follow them. What has happened here goes against the spirit of that. We have continued to outline that to the Department. It has been explained to the Department, yet it has continued to be involved with the group that is going against the planning regulations. It continued to the point where Uisce Éireann arrived to carry out a water connection, but even it confirmed it is not required to service unauthorised developments and a connection to an unauthorised development would be considered prejudicial to public health. The connection is on hold as engineers await the decision on a planning issue. That shows that all the elements of the State believe this is not an exempted development and have continued to operate in that vein.

Unfortunately, things have escalated and this has caused difficulty for the residents. It has caused confusion and heartache for many good individuals who work hard and live in the community, nine of whom were issued with letters to go to the High Court in regard to an injunction. I think four of the nine residents, as reported in the Sunday Independent, were not even present on the day it was claimed they were blockading work going on. Good citizens of Ireland are being dealt with in this manner and being brought before the High Court in regard to an injunction. I want the Department to act swiftly, get involved and ensure this item is brought to a swift conclusion.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)

I thank Deputy Neville for raising this issue and offering me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Foley. Ryevale House in County Kildare is an International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, accommodation centre, contracted to the Department since 2023. It provides shelter to approximately 90 women who are applying for international protection. The basis for applying for international protection, also known as asylum or refugees status, is fleeing war or persecution in one's home country. As international protection applicants, people are entitled to shelter and support under both Irish and EU law. Ireland has seen a sharp increase in the number of people applying for international protection in recent years. The Department provides accommodation to more than 33,000 people today. Since 2021, when we provided 7,000 places, this demand-led system has grown by more than 400%. Pressure on accommodation availability of all types is extremely high. The Department has extended all teams to try to meet this always-growing demand. Yet, despite this effort, more than 3,500 people are without an offer of accommodation since 2023.

The international protection procurement service, IPPS, within the Department is tasked with providing sufficient capacity to meet the demand for accommodation services for international protection applicants, a legal requirement under the recast reception conditions directive. The Department understands there is ongoing engagement between the provider, the local authority, An Bord Pleanála and the courts about planning matters at this property. It is important to note that regulatory matters related to planning are between the local authority and the accommodation service provider. The Department understands that the decision on planning permission for this property is before the courts and it is not appropriate for the Department to comment further on the matter at this time.

If there are matters arising from the court decision on this case that require action on the part of the Department, we will progress these without delay. While demand continues to outweigh supply for accommodation services for people seeking international protection and more than 3,500 people are without an offer of accommodation, Ryevale House will continue to accommodate approximately 90 adult females who are international protection applicants until a court has ruled on those matters. I trust this information is helpful.

Deputy Joe Neville

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I will focus on the planning issues and the ongoing work. This is a beautiful area with a big house and beautiful old trees that were destroyed for no reason. The pictures before and after show a development in a quiet area that has ultimately been destroyed from a conservation perspective.

Matters have got out of hand in the area on that side.

I take the Minister of State's point that "regulatory matters related to planning are between the local authority and the accommodation service provider". I fully agree. In this case the local authority has said it is not an exempt development and it has been backed up by An Bord Pleanála. This is not about who is there, but about process, regulation and how our planning laws work. Kildare County Council and An Bord Pleanála have taken a view on this and they have an understanding of the rules and regulations. They are the experts and they have said it is not an exempt development. I again ask that the Department look at it closely, make a swift decision and bring this to a conclusion. The area has been changed, conservation of the area has been damaged and the residents deserve better. We need to work with everyone and there is a responsibility on the Department to ensure not only that everybody is looked after but that the local people are given a fair hearing and there is an understanding of what is happening at this location.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter, as I said, on behalf of the Minister for children, disability and equality, Deputy Foley. The points the Deputy raised will be brought to the attention of the Minister.

I reiterate the Department understands there is ongoing engagement between the provider, the local authority and An Bord Pleanála in the courts in relation to planning matters at this property. As the Deputy noted, matters related to planning are between the local authority and the accommodation service provider. The Department understands the decision about the planning issue for this property is before the courts and it is not appropriate for the Department to comment further on the matter at this time. If there are any matters arising from the court decision on this case that require action on the part of the Department, it will progress those without delay.

Deputy Neville is a TD for the constituency and obviously the particular points he has raised will be brought to the attention of the Minister. As I said, if there are any matters arising from the court decision that require action on the part of the Department it will progress those without delay. While demand for accommodation services for people seeking international protection continues to outweigh supply, with over 3,300 persons without an offer of accommodation, Ryevale House will continue to accommodate approximately 90 adults who are international protection applicants until the court has ruled on these matters.

School Funding

Deputy Gary Gannon

This is my first time speaking since yesterday and despite the lowering of standards we are seeing from the Government, nothing will stop me coming in here and speaking on behalf of my community.

I want to speak to the Minister of State about funding for schools in the north inner city. Schools in the north inner city, like most schools around the country, are at the coalface of many of the issues we hear being talked about. They are dealing with issues of poverty. There are issues of generational trauma and there is a school community there who are providing a sanctuary and have done for many years. Despite all that and the day-to-day concerns schools have to ensure every single child who comes in is looked after in the incredible way they are, including to ensure every child has a place they feel comfortable in and can learn in, there is the general fear a school feels when it receives an unexpected bill in the post. That could be a €6,000 electricity bill, for example. Then the school leader has to worry about whether the lights can even be kept on.

That is a reality that has come into the public consciousness in the last couple of weeks due to a school in Killinarden, but it is a reality also facing schools in the north inner city. I have written to the Minister of State’s office asking for a meeting. I will use one school as an example, having sought permission from its principal this morning. Rutland National School is in the heart of Dublin 1, right in the north inner city. It is an amazing place full of the most decent people who do incredible work every single day. It has received more money from the Department of Social Protection for hot meals than it does from the Department of Education to run the school. Some 50% of the school’s capitation grant goes on insurance and as we know, Allianz is the only insurer in that market. The rest is used for electricity and heat. That is the capitation grant gone. Cleaning and caretaking wages are being paid from the DEIS grant, which is supposed to deliver equality for children. Its being used to pay the bills is therefore a compounding of inequality. That DEIS grant should be ring-fenced for the purpose for which it was developed. The school has a huge number of glass windows because they make for a sunny environment and allow the children to see outside, and for other reasons. The school does not have any money to pay for the cleaning of the windows.

That is the example of one school and I wrote to the Minister of State about four different ones. Schools are terrified about unexplained bills coming through the door. There are substandard facilities. St. Laurence O'Toole’s Specialist School, just off the North Strand, has been in a temporary building for the best part of 30 years. It deals with young people who are the most vulnerable. These are young people who did not have a good experience in more traditional schools. While the school staff are incredible, the building they are in demonstrates the respect the State has for them. People cannot learn in that environment and teachers cannot teach a vulnerable person in that environment, yet it is what we dealing with all the time. We are at a crisis point about whether schools are able to keep the doors open and the lights on and create an environment that is warm in every sense of the word. Budgets are being stretched to the max. Principals and school leaders are being asked to do a variety of different jobs every single day that take them away from what their first role should be, namely, ensuring the welfare of the students who attend the schools and the staff we ask to teach within them.

I would like the Minister of State to come down and listen to school leaders in the north inner city. This is a community that is often discussed. Every time I hear a Minister talk about the inner city task force, all the great work it has done and the €50-odd million that has been spent in six years, my mind goes back to those schools that are struggling so hard to meet such a demand. That is without even going into the provision of special education, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and all those other issues – this is just about the functioning of the building.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Deputy Michael Moynihan)

I thank the Deputy very much for raising the issue. I understand the genuine concern and the way he has brought it to the floor of the Dáil.

I thank Deputies for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position in relation to the financial situation for funding for primary schools in Dublin's north inner city. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to the schools. Schools have been in contact with the Department and have been referred to the financial support services unit, FSSU. The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education system by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general upkeep and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant from which the board of management can allocate according to its priorities, except for the employment of relevant secretaries as per Circular 36/2022.

As part of the capitation package in budget 2025, the Department is pleased to have secured over €30 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This increase is on top of the circa 9.2% increase from last year’s budget. This will bring the standard rate of capitation grant to the level of €224 per pupil in primary schools from September 2025. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. Schools should also ensure they are availing of the available OGP procurement frameworks and getting best value for money for all school expenditure.

In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports issued in November 2024 to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education system.

This additional funding announced in budget 2025 is designated to assist schools with the increased day-to-day running costs such as heating and electricity costs. The funding was paid at a rate of €36 per pupil in primary schools. Enhanced rates were also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. The Department of Education is aware that costs and funding can pose a very real problem for school communities, and is constantly working to address this matter and enhance the financial and other supports available to the schools and their communities. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future budget negotiations or financial parameters agreed by the Government, the Department of education will continue to seek and prioritise funding required to meet the ongoing costs of running schools. The FSSU, which is funded by the Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgetary and cash flow management.

At the outset, the Deputy mentioned St. Laurence O'Toole's and one other school, the name of which I did not get. I would be anxious to take up his offer to visit some of the schools as well.

Deputy Gary Gannon

I thank the Minister of State. I assure him my office contacted his office about a week ago regarding that offer.

We talked about not wanting to pre-empt any future budget negotiations and in parliamentary form that is absolutely fine. However, if I can pre-empt what happens in the absence of schools being adequately resourced and funded, it is that children are left behind. I will also compound that by saying it will not just be all children who will be left behind; it will be the most vulnerable children who are left behind. Some of the schools we are talking about are amazing places. They deal with complex needs that are generational and difficult. School principals are being cut to the bone. The Minister of State spoke about ensuring schools are availing of all available moneys. I can give him a document from St. Laurence O'Toole's and from Rutland National School which demonstrates all their costs coming in, all the money they avail of and all the money going out. I do not want to read it into the record but the Minister of State will clearly see there is a very significant difference between what is coming in and what is going out. Rutland National School in the heart of Dublin 1, in the north inner city, is dealing with all sorts of really complex generational needs. It still provides a sanctuary and it is struggling just to keep the lights on. We have a basic duty here. We can have all the debates we have to have but surely we can agree that children should be able to be taught in an environment that is warm and that the people we task with overseeing that building should not have to, on a day-to-day basis, worry about simply keeping the lights on. If we are neglecting that responsibility, I do not think schools can wait until the start of a budgetary process in the summer where a budget would be delivered in November and the income will be spent next year. By that point, we will have already lost about half a dozen kids within that scenario due to the type of care that needs to be given. We are taking school leaders away so then they have to kind of scrimp, save, beg, borrow, get on to their TDs and get us in to the Dáil just to ask to keep the lights on. How many schools in the country are struggling to keep the lights on? How much do they need and how fast can we get to them? Will the Minister of State please come down to meet some schools in the north inner city? Let us have a conversation and demonstrate the type of urgency that not only the children in the schools in the north inner city deserve, but all kids deserve. There are basic needs that are not being met here.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I thank the Deputy for his genuine concern regarding this. If he shares the document he mentioned with me immediately afterwards, I will take it up and work with him and with all Deputies in relation to school communities.

I outlined the issues in respect of what we are going to do and what we have done in previous budgets. We are acutely aware of the challenges that are being faced by schools, school communities and the members of the school management of those schools who are doing an extremely good job. The FSSU, on behalf of the Department, plays a crucial role in the process. However, rather than going into it, I will say I understand the concerns the Deputy has. He has relayed the concerns of the school communities. I will take the documentation from the Deputy and will work with him and with all Deputies to make sure we bring the proper information and try to make sure we have funding for schools.

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy David Maxwell)

Deputies McGettigan and Farrell have four minutes. I take it that they are taking two minutes each.

Deputy Donna McGettigan

Recently, we have seen shocking stories and harrowing accounts of young female students being attacked, abused, followed and harassed. This is a serious and urgent issue. Too many young women live in fear on the streets, in schools, on college campuses and even online. They face catcalling, stalking, spiking and, in the worst cases, assault. It is shameful to think that young women in Ireland, who should be excited to be facing a new chapter in their lives, are finding that it all goes horribly wrong when they are stalked or assaulted. Many university students have spoken out about being afraid to go out at night alone due to incidents of suspected drugging. The statistics on this issue continue to rise but many cases are going unreported due to fear, stigma and a lack of faith in our justice system. Women are often told to change their behaviour, avoid walking alone, watch their drinks and dress differently. However, telling women to do all this almost makes it sound like they are the issue and they are doing something wrong. It is as if we have to accept this kind of behaviour as the norm and change how we, as women, go about our business. Women should never ever have to shoulder the burden of this responsibility. We need stronger legal protections, including harsher penalties for offenders. Education must also play a role as we teach consent, respect and boundaries from an early age. We need safer streets and safer campuses. We need better street lighting, better and more visible policing and free self-defence classes. We can do all this but we need to build confidence in our young women that they will feel safe. In fact, everybody should feel safe on our streets and campuses.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell

I appreciate the fact that we are having this debate this morning. I thank the Minister for that.

Over the last week, we have seen a rise in the conversation about the negative impact social media and the Internet can have on our boys and our young men. This conversation was sparked by the Netflix show "Adolescence". Last week, we also saw two content creators use their platforms to share their own experiences of harassment. I take this opportunity to share Ella Deasy's experience. She moved to on-campus accommodation in University of Limerick in September 2024. Later she found out that a young man had created a TikTok in which he shared his hopes for the year ahead which included throwing eggs at Ella Deasy's house. That of course could have been taken with a pinch of salt but unfortunately it did not end there. It turned out that a WhatsApp group had been created of 200 young men who all wanted to target her house. Frighteningly, they knew not only the house number but the room in which she was living and they congregated at the back of the house outside her window shouting and chanting. She reported this to the accommodation provider but nothing was done at that point. This continued the following night with doorbells ringing in the middle of the night, eggs being thrown at the door and yoghurt being put on the door handle. This continued on over a number of nights. It escalated to attempts to kick in her door. There is no other way of putting this other than to say that this is an incredibly frightening experience. When I heard this story, I found it deeply concerning. What really stuck me was the fact that there was a WhatsApp group with over 200 young men discussing, viewing or participating in it. As Ella said, just imagine 200 boys against one girl. We need to do better for our young women and equally we need to do better for our young men. What strategy will the Minister bring into our colleges to deal with this in terms of education, and also in terms of the ways the universities can deal with these types of issues so that if women receive this type of harassment they have immediate support from their colleges?

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy James Lawless)

I thank both Deputies for raising this very important issue. I am glad to have the opportunity to address the House on the matter. I am aware of the media reports being referred to by the Deputies. I am extremely concerned about the issue itself and about the wider issue it spotlights, that of women’s safety on university campuses. This is a matter of critical importance. As I said, I am glad to have the opportunity to address this issue and take this Topical Issue here today.

In Government, I have worked to advance issues concerning women’s safety. Before I was ever a Minister, as a backbench TD I campaigned for the introduction of Coco’s law and brought that through committee when serving as chair of the justice committee in the last term. This included legislation to criminalise sharing of intimate images, as well as combating cyberbullying and many other unacceptable behaviours. I worked with the then Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, to advance legislation on gender-based violence and domestic violence, on women’s shelters, to improve support for victims in sexual abuse trials, and in many other areas where we attempt to advance this cause. As well as the legislative agenda, we had several elective sessions at the committee. I recognise the support of colleagues from all sides of the House and thank them for participating in those engagements.

That was essential to ensuring significant attention and focus was placed on these topics.

It is unequivocally unacceptable and shameful that any woman - indeed any individual - should face harassment of any kind while in their place of study or student accommodation. These are places where people who are typically young, and often vulnerable, are making their initial entry into the world of adulthood. This kind of activity is absolutely abhorrent for anybody to experience. Everyone should feel they have a safe environment in which they can study, free from violence and harassment. More broadly, individuals should feel free to exist, work, study and live their lives free from harassment. This is a basic ask of any society.

It is critical that higher education institutions, and all other places of work and study, take proactive steps when issues of concern are brought to their attention. Deputies will be aware that universities are autonomous under our code in Ireland but I state very clearly on the record of the Dáil that there is an expectation they would take proactive steps. Furthermore, it is clear that, unfortunately, despite best efforts, Ireland is not yet where we need to be on this. That is why the programme for Government stated clearly that tackling the epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will remain a major priority. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, will continue the work of his predecessor, Deputy McEntee, in taking this forward.

Government efforts are nationally centred around Cuan, the agency established last year to drive forward progress on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Its establishment was a major milestone and I want to acknowledge that, as well as the work of the previous Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the current Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, going forward in that area.

There are three points I want to highlight with regard to university campuses. The Higher Education Authority, HEA, which is under my remit, works closely with higher education institutions in seeking to promote a campus culture that is safe, respectful and supportive. This is part of Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence 2022-26, which was adopted in the last Dáil. It is assisted by the 2019 framework document for consent in higher education institutions and further led out by individual institution action plans on the issue. All publicly funded institutions have been instructed in this regard and have put in place those plans, or certainly should have done so and be implementing them.

Further, support has been provided in respect of sexual violence and harassment prevention and response manager posts, with 16 individuals appointed to these positions. These are now in higher education institutions and that is a really significant leap forward. Those posts did not previously exist and those 16 people are now tasked with addressing these types of behaviours and proactively preventing them from occurring, as well as creating environments where such behaviours are unacceptable. They drive forward prevention and response efforts on sexual violence and harassment. My Department provides funding of €1.5 million for these posts.

The Speak Out online anonymous reporting tool is in place for staff, students and visitors of higher education institutions to report incidents of harassment or bullying. The office was recently established in Trinity College Dublin and is funded by my Department.

In short, I am equally abhorred and shocked by these reports. I hope my initial remarks have shown my commitment that of my Department to tackle this behaviour across the board.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell

I appreciate the Minister is taking this seriously. I can hear that from the background he has and from what he has said here today. I appreciate and welcome this.

We must ensure we have an absolute zero-tolerance approach. My concern, however, is that despite having Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence 2022-26, we are nearing the end of that period and are seeing the number of cases rise. I commend Ella and others who have come forward and shared their experiences because, as we know, we only hear of certain experiences; we do not hear of all of them. I ask the Minister to make this an absolute priority in his time in the role. I can see and hear he is taking this seriously and I welcome that.

We undoubtedly have an epidemic when it comes to violence, abuse and harassment of women and we need to deal with and take this seriously. We need a holistic approach to this. When we talk about education, this needs to be for everyone. What was clear from this story was that the supports were not there and Ella did not feel she had support from the university or the accommodation provider. It is clear we need to look at how this is dealt with at every single level. Of course, we need to do everything in our power to ensure women are safe on campuses. It is not just about feeling safe; it is about being safe and ensuring we are all safe.

I appreciate the Minister's remarks. It is something an Teachta McGettigan and I will continue to raise and work on. Let us hope we can get a good resolution out of it.

Deputy James Lawless

I thank Deputy Farrell for acknowledging the work that is ongoing. This is a cross-party issue; I do not believe it is a political issue at all. I appreciate her approach to this and I share and reciprocate that.

There are several plans in place, which we have spoken about. Some of those are due to expire in the next year or two but they are typically incremental and we continue to grow and implement them. Insofar as I can while respecting their autonomy, I have made very clear my expectations of the institutions. I have undertaken a road trip to visit various institutions since coming into the brief. When it comes to the student experience, being safe from harassment should be the minimum standard expected in student accommodation and student life. The quality of the education and life experience for those going through a university or another HEI is paramount in the context of my commitment to this brief. It is something I will be engaging on further in due course.

We have the Zero Tolerance strategy. It was an ambitious strategy when adopted and it remains clear. The name of the strategy calls it out. We cannot tolerate, accept, condone or downplay harassment or behaviour of any kind that threatens student well-being. There is no place for sexual violence, gender-based violence or harassment in Ireland, nor the attitudes underpinning such behaviour. Sexual violence is, of course, the worst possible, but we should not have any tolerance for gender-based violence, misogyny or any kind of behaviour on that spectrum. That will be my approach.

Unfortunately, since St. Patrick's Day we have seen a spotlight placed on toxic masculinity due to the contemptuous bravado of certain high-profile individuals who perhaps think they are above the law. I fully support comments made by my colleagues in government condemning this behaviour. Aggression and misogyny in any form should never be normalised or considered in any way acceptable.

As I said, higher education institutions are autonomous and I respect that but the welfare of students must be a priority at all publicly funded institutions. We have ongoing robust evidence-based procedures and policies in place to ensure dignity, respect and freedom from bullying and harassment. This does not mean we have done enough, however, I will continue to do all I can in this brief to ensure the safety, priority, dignity and well-being of students.

Youth Work Supports

Deputy Jen Cummins

I congratulate the Minister of State on his new role. I wish him the best of luck and look forward to working with him over the course of this term. I will be speaking on pathways to youth work at third level. Youth work in Ireland is decades old. There are many types of youth work and they exist in every community in the country. Youth workers do a job that is sometimes mistaken or misunderstood by others, and that has led, in my opinion and the opinion of many youth workers and organisations throughout the country, to the undervaluing of a profession that is vital to a coherent, equal and fair society.

On a personal note, as a young person I was involved in youth theatre and then became a youth theatre leader and then a paid professional youth worker. I took a roundabout way to youth work. I already had a master's degree but went back and did a FETAC level 5 qualification when I became a paid professional youth worker. Youth work is political. It is very political. People ask me if I was involved in politics before and, in a roundabout way, through youth work, I was. Youth work is life-changing. I hope the Minister of State will excuse me for going off on a tangent.

I have raised this Topical Issue because I represent Dublin South-Central and youth work is a vital element of our coherent community in Dublin 8, where I live. I do not know whether the Minister of State is familiar with Dublin 8 but there are five large regeneration projects in the area currently ongoing under Dublin City Council. There is a high level of drug dealing and related antisocial behaviour. There are high rates of early school-leaving and non-progression to third level education. When antisocial behaviour boils over into communities, it creates difficulties and youth workers are often called for, alongside gardaí, to sort that out.

In addition, Dublin 8 lacks green space. In fact, it has the lowest amount of green space per capita in the country. Along with that, a community centre that burned down almost four years ago has still not been rebuilt. Quite frankly, if I said the pace at which the project is proceeding is slow, that would be an exaggeration. Youth workers, the Garda youth diversion project and many other projects to help young people with their prosocial skills were based in the centre. It catered for many organisations involving all ages.

In 1985, the then Labour Party and Fine Gael Government published In Partnership with Youth: the National Youth Policy.

Here we are in 2025, many years later. NYCI is a membership-led organisation is talking to TDs in this 34th Dáil, asking them for a number of things. One of the issues set out in that document in 1985 was multi-annual funding for youth work. Youth workers need to get mortgages or pay rent. If you only have annual funding from year to year, it is difficult to run that. That means youth workers are leaving the profession. They are going to agencies, such as Tusla which can afford to pay more, or to other areas.

I am looking to have a discussion about this and for the Government to liaise with some of the agencies in Northern Ireland where there is an apprenticeship model for getting into youth. I will come to that in my second contribution. I suppose pathways to youthwork education are clear. Young people who are involved in youth work often want to become youth workers because it is so life-changing. How can we help them with that, especially where young people are from disadvantaged areas? Progression to third level is difficult for them. An apprenticeship model would help with that. I am looking at that element.

I suggest meeting with the youth workers' education forum and the Education Authority of Northern Ireland to discuss and learn about the apprenticeship model. I have another suggestion which I will make in my second contribution.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)

I thank Deputy Cummins for raising this important issue and for offering me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I can see the Deputy's commitment to the area. She has lived it and breathed it so I can see how important it is to her on both a political and personal level.

The Minister is committed to supporting the delivery and development of youth work services and opportunities for young people throughout the country. This year, almost €85 million in funding has been allocated for youth services and capital expenditure, which represents an increase in funding of €7 million, or almost 9% on the 2024 budget. Over the period from 2021 to 2025, the level of current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes will have increased by more than 34%.

In September 2024, the then Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, launched Opportunities for Youth: the National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services. This strategy aims to provide a more strategic, data-driven and joined-up approach to the delivery of youth work and related services in Ireland. Informed by wide-ranging consultation with young people, the youth sector, education and training boards and other key stakeholders, the strategy identifies both strategic objectives and individual actions to guide the delivery and development of youth work services.

Challenges to the youth work workforce emerged strongly as a key theme across the consultations. In response to the consultations with youth workers, action 7 of Opportunities for Youth aims to produce a workforce development strategy this year. This strategy will include consideration of training needs and the requirement for high-quality, accessible and inclusive youth work services and opportunities. To date, a large-scale workforce survey in the sector has been compiled, gathering the views of almost 1,000 individuals, including youth workers and youth work managers.

When the Department’s analysis of the responses is complete, we will have a clearer picture of the range, level and type of qualification held by or being undertaken by youth workers and managers. Furthermore, this week a survey will issue to employers in national youth organisations and independent youth services in the sector. This will provide a more complete picture of the workforce in the sector and enable comparative analysis to be undertaken.

The data and information gathering and analysis is a critical step to informing the Department’s approach to actions regarding the education and training of youth workers in the workforce development strategy. The broad aim of the workforce development strategy is to support youth workers and youth organisations in delivering a best-in-class service to young people in Ireland. The Deputy will know that many youth workers are already qualified in youth work or related fields. She gave us an indication of her own pathway into the area. Ultimately, this strategy will support those in the sector who wish to follow in this pathway.

The Deputy made reference to an all-island approach. Currently, there are five higher education institutions on the island of Ireland offering undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in youth work. The North South Education and Training Standards committee for youth work, NSETS, is responsible for the professional endorsement of undergraduate and postgraduate youth work education programmes in higher education institutions on the island of Ireland. NSETS is funded and supported by the Minister, Deputy Foley’s Department.

Deputy Jen Cummins

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. The increase in funding for youth work is very welcome. The role I had immediately after youth work was working in the school completion programme. While there have been increases in funding for both of those sectors, during the austerity era youth work and the school completion programme were cut so dramatically and so drastically that they have not recovered to pre-austerity levels. While there have been increases in funding, they are not back to the original levels nor are they keeping in line with inflation. That is putting huge pressure on youth services to appropriately fund the services they provide.

Looking at my area, Dublin 8, the centre burned down and the projects could no longer be housed there. There is a lack of space in Dublin 8 for youth services to be housed. That means young people are hanging around and not able to do anything. They want to do things. Just because young people are hanging out, it does not mean they are involved in antisocial behaviour. However, youth workers want to engage them. We have that possibility to do that. There is fantastic work going on in all the youth services in Dublin 8 and I commend them on their work. More young people are coming into youth work.

I welcome the survey the Minister of State mentioned, which will go out next week. That will shed a clear light on how many youth workers there are, the level of qualifications they have, where the needs are and on being able to fill that gap.

I would like to see a committee for young people in this Dáil term. Every decision made here is going to affect the people who are young now in the future. If we could future-proof and young people-proof every decision we made, we would be very copped on. It is great to work with young people. They keep you real and they always talk straight, and I appreciate that. I thank the Minister of State.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I again thank Deputy Cummins for raising this important matter today. I note the points she made and her acknowledgement of the survey and the benefits it will bring. I note her point on a committee for young people. That matter will be brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Foley.

While providing adequate funding of youth work and youth services is essential, it is also paramount that youth workers themselves are supported with access to development pathways. Provision of high quality, inclusive youth work services is a key goal of Opportunities for Youth: the National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services. As with many other sectors, there are challenges around recruitment and retention. Making the sector attractive and meaningful to work in is essential in achieving a sustainable model of youth work services and ensuring they are accessible to all young people. To address this, action 7 of Opportunities for Youth aims to produce a workforce development strategy in respect of the youth work sectors to address and support the needs of youth workers. Action 14 of Opportunities for Youth aims to implement an updated sector-wide national quality standards framework. Youth work, qualified, well-supported and trained youth workers contribute significantly to the quality of the services provided in youth services throughout the country. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and her Department are confident that this strategic approach to supporting youth work and youth workers will build on the driven, committed and compassionate work currently being delivered by youth work services across Ireland.