Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply, which covers much of the ground and indicates the good work being done by Foróige. I understand from Foróige that whereas it gets 10% of State funding, it provides 15% of the youth services, so it is money well spent in that respect. In my constituency it shares an office with the Garda diversionary project and there is a linkage which is very valuable.

I may be wrong but my information is that the reason the philanthropic organisations are pulling out is a lack of engagement from the State. If there was engagement from the State for part of the funding, the philanthropic bodies would have been content to remain and be involved in further funding. Is this the case and is the Minister prepared to engage with the funding organisations, such as the One Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, to see if there can be a reasonable contribution from the State if the bodies would allow matching funds to ensure the continuation of the project?

Foróige's current target is 2,000 people who are very much at risk in areas where we must make every effort to keep people out of trouble. A mentoring programme is very valuable and has been proven to be effective. I ask the Minister to speak with representatives of Foróige to see what level of funding may be forthcoming from those philanthropic organisations.

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