Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta. Ba mhaith liom cúpla focail a rá faoin cheist seo. I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Coughlan. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity to outline the Department's involvement with these projects and its ongoing contribution to the implementation of the national drugs strategy.

At present, the Department provides funding for over thirty projects in local drugs task force areas. These projects, through a variety of programmes and activities, seek, in the main, to encourage young people not to engage in drug-taking. The Department originally took on responsibility for funding these projects through a mainstreaming process, whereby projects on interim funding were assigned to a number of Departments and State agencies.

Most of the projects are administered by the three VECs - Dublin City, Dublin County and Dún Laoghaire - while the remaining three projects are funded directly by the Department. In the main, the projects provide for the employment of youth workers and project leaders, the delivery of peer education in a drug education context and initiatives aimed at retaining and supporting children in first and second level education and the prevention of early school leaving. In addition, a number of projects provide support for the delivery of the substance misuse module of the social, personal and health education curriculum in schools.

Arising from budget 2010, it was decided that funding for these projects was to be reduced from €3,643,000 in 2009 to €2,461,000 in 2010 and to cease from 2011. The Tánaiste acknowledges the difficulties that arise for projects and the Department is currently reviewing the implications of the budget decisions relating to funding allocations for all of these projects.

A key aspect of the review is to determine whether the Department is the appropriate location for these projects or whether funding could more appropriately be channelled through another Department or agency. In this regard, officials of the Department have held discussions with officials in the office of the Minister with responsibility for children and youth affairs to determine whether projects which involve a significant element of youth work might be more appropriate to that office. These discussions are ongoing. A number of the projects are being reviewed within the Department in the context of their work being similar to that of other departmental initiatives aimed at preventing early school leaving. The Department will submit recommendations for the Tánaiste's consideration based on the reviews which, it is anticipated, will be completed shortly.

The Tánaiste wishes to reassure the House that, within the resources at her disposal, she remains fully committed to implementing the national drugs strategy. In that regard, she wants to place on record the significant contribution her Department has made, and continues to make, in support of the prevention pillar of the strategy, through the introduction of a social, personal and health education, or SPHE, curriculum at primary level and at junior cycle in second-level; the initiatives under delivering quality of opportunity in schools, or DEIS action plan and the school support programme to prevent early school leaving and achieve better educational outcomes for students; and the guidelines on substance use policies issued to all schools.

I shall provide some additional detail for the House in regard to these measures. The SPHE programme is the foundation for developing awareness of drugs and alcohol issues in schools. It is a mandatory part of the curriculum at primary and junior cycle in second level. The substance use modules of SPHE are augmented by two support programmes, the "Walk Tall" programme at primary level and "On My Own Two Feet" at post-primary. The implementation of these programmes in schools is supported by support services at primary and second level, which provide professional development for teachers and advice and support to schools.

The DEIS action plan for educational inclusion is aimed at identifying and tackling levels of disadvantage and it provides the basis for school supports to, among others, schools located in local drugs taskforce areas. Supports targeting children most at risk of leaving school early are currently being enhanced through the integration of the relevant services, namely, the school completion programme, home-school-community liaison and the visiting teacher service for Travellers, under the National Educational Welfare Board.

Through the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and youth affairs, the Government continues to support initiatives for youth, such as the young people's facilities and services fund, which aims to divert young people away from the dangers of substance abuse and the special projects for youth scheme, which supports out-of-school projects for disadvantaged young people.

Again, I acknowledge the difficulties for the projects in local drugs taskforce areas which are funded by the Department. In that regard, the Tánaiste anticipates that the examination of the projects and related discussions with the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and youth affairs will be completed shortly.

I again thank the Deputy again for raising this matter.

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