Dáil debates

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Topical Issue Debate

School Completion Programme

6:30 pm

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to focus on a project in my area, the Le Chéile project which covers five DEIS schools. It is in Knocknaheeny on the north side of Cork city. The Government is investing huge sums of money in regenerating the physical environment of the area. It is knocking down houses and rebuilding them to a high standard. While on the one hand the Government is doing that, on the other it is cutting the budgets for programmes to improve the social environment in those communities which is contradictory. This project has three members of staff who work 35 hours a week, one who works 24 hours and two who work 22 hours. They access 170 students. These are schools where traditionally there is a high level of early school leaving and a higher than average number of children with special needs. As a result of the budget cut the decision has to be made whether to cut the two members of staff who work 22 hours or to cut the programmes. It is not possible to implement another cut on top of the cuts of the previous two years of 6.5% without affecting front-line services.

In his response the Minister of State said, "The Department must play its part in the collective Government effort to reduce our unsustainable day-to-day deficit. That is the reality for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs as well as others." The reality of a 6.5% cut to these communities is that children who now have the supports and resources to complete their education may not have them in September. They may not get the opportunity to complete their education. If we cut these resources and staff and the co-ordinators have to decide whether to cut back on programmes, children will suffer. That does not make any economic sense in the long run because if people leave school before they have the opportunity to realise their educational potential it will cost us more. The Department needs to consider that. In this project 6.5% represents approximately €25,000 or €26,000 which is not a large sum of money but one cannot put a price on the benefit to the community, the schools and the children of having it. I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to reconsider the budget cuts which will be implemented in September.

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