Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I thank the Minister for coming to the House at this hour of the night to respond to the debate. This is an important issue, the future of the Ballymun education support team school completion programme and specifically the school group within that SCP programme. The group was set up in 1998. It caters for six children who could be regarded as being in the group of most highly at-risk children who are out of school. They are aged between 13 and 15 years. This is a special project set up to change their thinking about school, to give them positive experiences and to enable them to acquire qualifications.

The scheme has been remarkably successful. Last year it catered for six children, all of whom had difficulties at home and who had been in contact with the Educational Welfare Service and who had been assigned to a junior liaison officer. Their school attendance rates had dropped very low before finally leaving school. The year spent in the programme has made a significant difference to them. Their attendance level has risen to 90% and they all achieved FETAC awards.

The Minister will be aware of the worth of this programme. It is referred to in the Department's publication, Guidelines Towards Best Practice for School Completion Programmes. It is the only school completion programme operating an out of school group. Various organisations in Ballymun have co-ordinated this scheme. There is general support for the scheme and an appreciation of the valuable role it plays.

It has not ever been properly funded and there was a shortfall. This service provides an essential safety net and education service for six children and costs a mere €95,000 per year. The funding available from the Minister's Department is currently only €60,000. The shortfall has been made up through various means over the years. The service was forced to close in 2002. Since then the local drugs task force has made up the shortfall of €35,000 but the task force can no longer continue this funding. This successful project may close by Christmas unless the funding is put on a proper footing. They are asking for a very small amount of €35,000 to radically change the future prospects of six children who are at risk. Two miles up the road in Finglas, young offenders are being cared for in the Finglas children's centre at a cost of more than ten times that amount for one young person, approximately €400,00 a year. The centre in Lusk, a few miles north, is costing between €300,000 and €400,000 per young person.

I appeal to the Minister to guarantee the funding of €35,000. It would be criminal if this project had to close down for the lack of such a small amount of money. This is a critical year for lots of reasons. The concern is that the funding might be committed for this year but that there could be another crisis next year. The group want a commitment on a long-term basis for full funding. The amounts of money involved are very small. The work is very worthwhile because it completely changes the future prospects for critically at-risk children. If the Government is serious about tackling the problem of educational disadvantage and early school leaving and wants to prevent young people from ending up in conflict with the law, then I urge the Minister to make that commitment.

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