Christy O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to contribute to this debate. The motion is particularly appropriate, given that the General Assembly of the European Youth Parliament met in this Chamber on Friday and Saturday last.

As a parent, an uncle and a public representative, I meet young people who are friendly, articulate and very knowledgeable on a daily basis. They are not slow to point out that we have an enormous responsibility to ensure the legacy of our time here as public representatives will be that we hand down to them a society that is at least no more damaged than that which we inherited.

How we go about this is the crucial question. Like other TDs, I refer back to my constituency of Cork South-West to gauge matters. The conclusion I came to on this is that in many ways we have left down our young people. Opportunities in education which were not available to previous generations have opened many doors for young people and as a society we should be rightly proud of this. However, many do not achieve their educational potential and we must continue to work to improve their situation.

We must ensure the schools they attend are worthy of modern Ireland and have the facilities to cater for life in Ireland today. It is right to commend the Minister for Education and Science on her ongoing commitment to pupils and schools. While she accepts we still have a distance to travel in this regard, what we need to tackle are facilities outside the educational setting. We must invest more in our young people by making available extra funding for youth cafés, youth clubs, sports facilities, swimming pools, cinemas and other leisure activities if we are not to be judged harshly by those who come after us.

In Cork South-West, which is a large constituency geographically, the major towns of Kinsale, Bandon, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Bantry and Castletownbere and the large hinterland have only two cinemas and one public swimming pool between them. The battle continues to find a room or a building which will allow young people to have a place to meet or organise their youth clubs or activities.

Young people walk around the streets aimlessly because they have no place to go and little to do. Their problem is that they have few positive activities in which to get involved. This in turn makes them easy prey for those who seek to sell drugs, alcohol or get them involved in various forms of anti-social behaviour. One does not need to be on the streets of Dublin, Cork, Limerick or other major cities for this to happen.

We hear a great deal about young drivers. They are mentioned every time we pick up a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch television. Thought should be given to expanding the driving tuition done by schools in transition year. Time and energy must be devoted to helping young people gain proficient driving skills if they so wish. Serious thought must be given to making funding available for practical sessions of driving tuition in designated spaces. These spaces could be provided by local authorities and driving tuition carried out by qualified driving instructors. Students who complete the course should be acknowledged, perhaps with cheaper insurance or a fast-tracked driving test.

During recent years, we ensured our senior citizens benefited from our increased prosperity. We must give young people the same priority. I am aware of the funds available for youth projects throughout the country. However, I urge the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Cowen, to consider increasing the moneys available for young people. We must not forget those who come after us and do our best for young people. I am delighted to speak on this motion. I hope the outcome of this debate will be of benefit to future generations.

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