Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is a very important issue, which goes beyond political tit-for-tat stuff. The achievements that can be made for young people in this area if it is properly resourced are unique. I acknowledge that there has been a dramatic increase in funding in this area, which has gone from €21 million or €22 million up to €36 billion in a short time. There was a gap in fulfilment across the jurisdiction affecting my area of north Tipperary and east Clare. I am not claiming east Clare but I wake up every morning and see east Clare, so there is a crossover. They were the two areas that were left. In fairness, in February of this year there was an announcement that Foróige would run the programme in both areas. North Tipperary and east Clare come under the one policing jurisdiction. That is a problem at times but at least we now have the one organisation running this for both areas.

I believe we have more than 113. This has been surveyed and the analysis has shown the very impressive improvements it makes in young people's lives. However, the success rates vary in different locations. There are major issues in areas with higher levels of crime and social deprivation. Statistically, it has been shown that the programmes cannot cope.

We genuinely have a problem with the number of community gardaí. The figures and facts show they are down. I have engaged a lot with the Minister on increasing recruitment and I hope we will be able to deal with that. I believe that community gardaí are incredibly important but the problem is that in many cases, community gardaí are being appointed but they are being taken from other areas of the force in the local division. The problem is that those positions are never backfilled. Gardaí are coming into community policing, which is totally necessary, but their previous roles are not backfilled because we do not have enough gardaí to do so. Every single TD in the Chamber is dealing with that. I come across it all the time in my area.

We also need to improve the outcomes through education dramatically. That is why integrating school programmes with the youth diversion programme is so critical. Many schools do great work with young people. While the education side of things is fine for 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds, it may drift on to the stage where it has to be about employment. This comes to the issue of trades and the requirement for more people to move into trades. I have seen situations where young people who were going on a certain pathway ended up going on an alternative pathway, feeling of much greater worth and getting qualified in a trade. Is that not fantastic? Is that not what we all want to see where there is a positive impact on their lives, where they are contributing to society and where their sense of worth is huge?

There is a significant issue with drugs, which are ubiquitous. Children are being sucked into being mules for drug dealers. Much of this is through organised crime. Any advancements made with young people through this programme are lost because they are continually reintroduced; it is all part of their lives. They are socialised around this. They are trying to help family members. They are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Continually trying to intercept that is a big problem.

It can also be formed in a sense through constant intimidation. The work of gardaí must go beyond what they do through the programmes by trying to isolate young people from some of the aspects of the community they are in. That is very difficult because many of the kids come from very difficult backgrounds, in some cases dysfunctional families and sometimes there are intergenerational issues. There needs to be a wraparound service for these kids to try to change their lives.

This has started but there is a big gap. The programmes need to run seven days a week. Having them for just five days does not fit. It is necessary to have some form of interaction, monitoring and relationship seven days a week so that the kids in the programme do not feel that it is a Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. programme and rather it is an holistic programme that they are contributing to and that is having an impact on their lives.

I have seen how young people in these programmes have changed their attitudes towards society and communities, and have changed their behaviour in how they respect public facilities. They have changed their attitude to sports clubs. They have changed their attitude to themselves and their self-worth. They have changed their attitude to An Garda Síochána. Many of the gardaí who do this work have a vocation. It is a vocation that is slightly to other work in An Garda Síochána. The people who do this work have great patience and understanding. They have a sociological awareness of what they have to deal with. The respect that is generated takes time but it does happen.

In many cases we need a multiagency approach. It is not just through the schools, An Garda Síochána and the other people involved. We also need to ensure that health agencies, social agencies and family groups across the country are all also involved. It is not a one-size-fits all approach. In many cases, we also need other supports. It needs to be a no-wrong-door experience so that when kids go into this programme, they understand that they are in a programme where no matter which door they pick, there will be a different pathway for them once they go through it.

I wish to raise a number of concerns that have been mentioned previously. There are certain crimes committed by young people, which mean they do not merit being put into this programme. It is unfortunate but it is real. I refer to rape and other serious crimes. In some cases people in the age bracket up to 18 have been put through this programme despite having committed such crimes.

There is within the regulations the power for the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, or the senior Minister, to change those regulations to ensure that certain crimes are not facilitated as part of this programme. I am not sure anyone in this House would disagree with me on that. There needs to be a formality around this. Victims must have a say. In the context of the regulations and the legislation, they do not. We should change the regulations to ensure that certain crimes like that are not facilitated. I understand it is happening less since it was the subject of a report by "Prime Time Investigates" a number of years ago but there are certainly other crimes, not just those relating to sexual offences and rape, that should also not be covered under the programme.

The Minister of State referred to how the programme has been extended to early intervention in relation to eight- to 11-year-olds. That is welcome. In Roscrea in my constituency, the North Tipperary Partnership is involved in work relating to an early intervention initiative at the Roscrea Youth Service. That is the type of work we need in order to intercept young people at a very young age to prevent them from getting involved in a life of crime.

I also feel that we need to work much more closely with sports organisations. Such organisations have a major impact and a huge pull. They have a capacity to influence young people way more than any of us in this Chamber or others throughout the country can. I honestly believe that sports clubs can have a significant and healthy impact on people's lives when it comes to the issue of drugs. As part of a whole-of-Oireachtas plan, we should look at how to engage all the major sports organisations to work with each other and with us to put in place a plan for how we can promote healthy living and the type of societal behaviour and outcomes we want to see and highlight the dangers of drugs. I have attended meetings where people said they had spoken at events hosted by sports organisations. They had asked national sporting organisations to engage in a programme to encourage people to say no to drugs and to create a whole brand around this. They have not even received a reply. If the Ministers for Health and Justice could work on this, it would be extremely beneficial.

This is a great programme. It should be supported by everybody. It does need more resources and community gardaí must have the capacity to engage. We need to look at the regulations and ensure that they are changed.

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