Dáil debates

Thursday, 6 April 2017

Topical Issue Debate

Youth Services

6:35 pm

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I echo the words of Deputy O'Loughlin. The Minister of State's answer referred to funding. Funding for the youth sector has been cut by 28.5% since 2008. This is a much wider issue than Rathangan and Kildare. It is a national issue.

The Minister of State and the Government need to be honest and fund these services into the future. They are not emergency measures. Rather, they are the absolute minimum that must be provided to allow young people to flourish. As I told the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, this is a national problem which is prevalent not just in youth centres but also schools.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, recently received a letter from a young lady in my town, Jessica Daly. The letter will tell the House what is happening with young people in this country. Jessica said: "I come from a town called Midleton in Cork which once held the highest suicide rate in Europe... Please can you give our schools compulsory class[es] all about mental health."

It is clear that not enough is being done to tackle this issue and something has to be done. I do not want to talk about this issue in the House every day. This involves our young people, who are our future.

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