Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply but it is disappointing. I find many of the cuts that are being imposed as part of the Minister’s austerity regime cruelly unjust and senseless. There are few cuts, however, that could be more unjust and senseless than the cutting of funding to youth community services for some of the most vulnerable young people. The reason I have raised this issue is because those young people affected from Ballymun, Ballyfermot, Dublin’s north-west inner city, Finglas, Coolock and Darndale were protesting outside the Dáil last week. They put it simply that if these cuts go ahead, in many cases they will be forced out on to the streets with nothing to do. It will lead to more confrontation with the police, more temptation to get involved in drugs, drinking and, ultimately, it will cost them, in terms of their lives, and the State to pick up the pieces afterwards. These cuts are utterly counterproductive.

It is particularly regressive when one considers Ireland has more young people at risk than any other EU member state. Up to 37% of our young people are at risk as against the European average of 27%. These cuts will disproportionately hit young people who are in no way responsible for the crimes that lead to the economic and financial crisis. I am appealing to the Minister on their behalf to reverse these cuts and find the moneys elsewhere. These cuts make no sense and are cruelly unjust. There can be no justification or time to soften up the real impact of these cuts.

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