Jim D'Arcy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I admire Youth Work Ireland and Youth Action Northern Ireland. More than 350,000 young people in the South are catered for by youth work services. Approximately 1,400 people work in full-time equivalent positions in the youth work sector. There are over 40,000 volunteers in this area, which is a huge amount. I am sure the ratio is the same in the North. Much of this work, although not all of it, is done in deprived communities and with socially disadvantaged young people. Those who provide youth work services are sometimes the only positive role models in these young people's lives. We need to support the two organisations that are represented at today's meeting.

I was very interested to hear Mr. Gilmore mention the mobile youth cafe. There are 70 youth cafes in this country. Some €2 million has been provided in the budget for up to 100 more youth cafes. Would Mr. Gilmore agree that they seem to be taking over from the youth information centres to a certain extent? The youth cafe in my own village, which is near Dundalk, is a very positive thing. I will come back to Dundalk, south Armagh and east Belfast, which have been mentioned.

The members of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement are quite interested in North-South links. While I was interested to hear what was said about the strategic plan, I would like to hear more about how these links are developing. I know from my own links - I have been working through schools and the horse and dog racing sector - that it is very useful to be able to help youth people in the North and the South to come together. We would be very interested in that.

I saw many young people at the final of the Setanta Cup last year. I am disappointed to learn that the Setanta Cup soccer tournament is in danger of folding. This is a great North-South event. Representatives of the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Association appeared before the committee previously and should be invited to come before us again to give their views on this matter. The Setanta Cup creates a great bond among young people.