Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I raise this issue because it is incredibly important for the inclusion, prospects and efforts of 60 young mothers to escape from the cycle of poverty. I refer to the Young Mothers in Education project in Galway city. Question No. 442 in my name was tabled in on 12 February 2008 and answered with Question No. 465 tabled by Deputy Pádraic McCormack. The Minister's reply indicated that she regarded the project as duplication in light of her Department's funding of teenage parenting support projects. Unfortunately, the facts are different. The Young Mothers in Education project precedes the projects to which the Minister referred and has been in place since 1999. It was funded through the hospital in Galway until 2004, while from 2004 until 2006 it received funding under the special projects for youth in the Department of Education and Science.

A further contradiction is that the teenage pregnancy programme frequently used the Young Mothers in Education project for the education component of its project. The latter programme was in place before the former project and had a remarkable success rate. Last Saturday, many of the mothers who had been through the programme reported on their experience. The mothers in question are aged up to 25 years and are not all teenagers. Some of them are married, while others are in different types of relationship. One is enrolled for a PhD in University College Galway, while a second is doing a master's degree at the college. Participants have had considerable success.

The Young Mothers in Education programme advises participants on all the options available to them in education, arranging child care, form filling and other matters. The mothers attending the meeting spoke about the time, space and energy needed in the evening to study.

The project has applied to the Department for funding since 2002. Having received special funding in 2004, 2005 and 2006, it had a reasonable expectation that the plug would not be pulled in 2007-08. I understand the funding required amounts to €50,000 to €60,000, which is used by the project officer and would trigger funding from other sources to enable the scheme to continue. The future of the project is at stake.

I urge the Minister not to read out again the reply to my parliamentary question, which contains some factual errors in that it fails to recognise the true history of the project. When I was requested to table a question, I was asked what project 60 mothers could go to if the Young Mothers in Education project is left unfunded. I appeal to the Minister to reconsider. The project could be funded for the period 2007-08, after which a review could be carried out to determine how it could be integrated with another project. It should not be left without funding as this would put 60 mothers and their families at risk of being dumped back into a cycle of poverty. The achievements of the project have been incredibly valuable and it is deeply appreciated. Last Saturday, when former participants in the project returned to report on their experiences, they all gave a testament to this fact. I ask the Minister to review the position to determine whether funding can be provided in some form to enable this good work to continue.

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