Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State. We have all been very impressed with the Cork Life Centre, in particular. It has been in front of the committee and we have met the representatives on a number of occasions. I do not think there was one member of the committee who was not incredibly impressed by the service it provides. I met Mr. Don O' Leary yesterday and he was anxious that there would be some light at the end of tunnel in terms of what the centre is trying to do. The Minister, Deputy Foley' presentation speaks again of a review. Unfortunately, for people in the Cork Life Centre, that is not going to give them an awful lot of comfort.

I am intrigued by the phrase "out-of-school provision" and not "alternative education". When dealing with the Department of Education, you always have to be very cognisant of the fact that it knows language very well. The Department knows language very well, so the choice of the phrase "out-of-school provision" is a deliberate one. It gives a connotation of something that is odd or unusual. It has negative connotations in terms of what the provision does, that is, it is out-of-school rather than being part of the educational provision by the State.

Will the Minister speak specifically on the Cork Life Centre? What support will be provided to ensure those young people can continue? Can I ask specifically about this phrase "out-of-school provision" which the Department has chosen to use? Does the Minister agree that it does not really fit well with those who are working in alternative education? For those who attend services such as the Cork Life Centre, it is school and it is their educational experience. They are being provided with an alternative to what many people might consider the mainstream, but it is not "out-of-school". I have an issue with that phraseology.