Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

In addition to the funding provided for RASP and five other projects in local drugs task force areas, my Department is making a significant contribution in support of the prevention pillar of the national drugs strategy through the mandatory social personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum at primary level and in the junior cycle at second level, the initiatives under the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, action plan to prevent early school leaving and achieve better educational outcomes for students and the guidelines on substance use policy issued to all schools. It will be a matter for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, to approve decisions regarding future funding for the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service. In this regard, I understand her Department will focus specifically on ensuring greater coherence, co-ordination and impact in youth policy and provision in order to ensure quality outcomes for all.

The Deputy has raised the possibility of carrying out a full cost-benefit analysis of the programmes to which he refers. I would be concerned that my Department would not have sufficient resources to allow it to carry out such an analysis, particularly in the context of engaging in the type of forensic investigation that would be required in order to establish whether the programmes provide a benefit for those who avail of them or whether the communities which they serve are obtaining full benefits from them. However, the Deputy's concerns are extremely valid and he made a very compelling case for the retention of both services. I will undertake to pass on his concerns to the Minister when we are engaging in the final stages of the comprehensive spending review which is under way.

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