Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House at this hour of the night to respond to the debate. This is an important issue, the future of the Ballymun education support team school completion programme and specifically the school group within that SCP programme. The group was set up in 1998. It caters for six children who could be regarded as being in the group of most highly at-risk children who are out of school. They are aged between 13 and 15 years. This is a special project set up to change their thinking about school, to give them positive experiences and to enable them to acquire qualifications.

The scheme has been remarkably successful. Last year it catered for six children, all of whom had difficulties at home and who had been in contact with the Educational Welfare Service and who had been assigned to a junior liaison officer. Their school attendance rates had dropped very low before finally leaving school. The year spent in the programme has made a significant difference to them. Their attendance level has risen to 90% and they all achieved FETAC awards.

The Minister will be aware of the worth of this programme. It is referred to in the Department's publication, Guidelines Towards Best Practice for School Completion Programmes. It is the only school completion programme operating an out of school group. Various organisations in Ballymun have co-ordinated this scheme. There is general support for the scheme and an appreciation of the valuable role it plays.

It has not ever been properly funded and there was a shortfall. This service provides an essential safety net and education service for six children and costs a mere €95,000 per year. The funding available from the Minister's Department is currently only €60,000. The shortfall has been made up through various means over the years. The service was forced to close in 2002. Since then the local drugs task force has made up the shortfall of €35,000 but the task force can no longer continue this funding. This successful project may close by Christmas unless the funding is put on a proper footing. They are asking for a very small amount of €35,000 to radically change the future prospects of six children who are at risk. Two miles up the road in Finglas, young offenders are being cared for in the Finglas children's centre at a cost of more than ten times that amount for one young person, approximately €400,00 a year. The centre in Lusk, a few miles north, is costing between €300,000 and €400,000 per young person.

I appeal to the Minister to guarantee the funding of €35,000. It would be criminal if this project had to close down for the lack of such a small amount of money. This is a critical year for lots of reasons. The concern is that the funding might be committed for this year but that there could be another crisis next year. The group want a commitment on a long-term basis for full funding. The amounts of money involved are very small. The work is very worthwhile because it completely changes the future prospects for critically at-risk children. If the Government is serious about tackling the problem of educational disadvantage and early school leaving and wants to prevent young people from ending up in conflict with the law, then I urge the Minister to make that commitment.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Shortall for raising this matter and for speaking about the school completion programme, a very successful programme targeted at children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. It is targeted at those in danger of dropping out of the education system or those who may have already dropped out. It is a broadly based programme which is cross-community and cross-sectoral. It works between the primary schools and the second level schools and involves the community to ensure the maximum participation by as many people as possible. It generally targets four to 18 year olds who are both in and out of school to ensure the best outcome for them.

The Deputy referred to multi-annual retention plans. The funding under the school completion programme is provided to projects on the basis of multi-annual retention plans drawn up and agreed between the local management committee and the Department of Education and Science.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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It is not index-linked.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The funding is not just agreed on a once-off basis but rather on a multi-annual basis. I accept that projects cannot be stop-start. A local retention plan contains strategies for the whole-school, targeted strategies for individual students and those who are already outside the formal system, as referred to by the Deputy.

As we head into the holidays, this programme offers supports during holiday time in recognition of the fact that continuous support must be given to young people at risk of early school leaving. Various holiday programmes are offered in conjunction with other agencies, such as sporting and cultural activities, literacy and numeracy development programmes, art, drama and music and youth work, sports and arts camps, English language support for students for whom English is not the mother tongue, science camps, familiarisation days and week-long transfer programmes for new entrants to second level schools to smooth their transition to the new school. An issue identified as being a particular problem for students from the most disadvantaged areas is the fear of moving into a second level school. Up to 800 children, aged between seven and 11, will in July and August attend summer literacy camps which aim to help those with literacy difficulties learn through art, dance, music and drama. The 20 summer camps have been organised and funded by the Department. Increased access will be provided to the 200 second level and 320 urban and town primary schools in SCP to a range of academic and non-academic supports based in-school, after school, out-of-school and during holiday time, based on best practices identified through the school completion programme.

There are currently 82 school completion programme sites in 21 counties, involving 108 post-primary schools and 302 primary schools, with 53 second level schools in the stay in school retention strand. That is in 17 counties, targeting approximately 23,000 young people at risk of early school leaving. In total, €24.7 million has been allocated by my Department to the school completion programme for 2006.

One might have got the impression from Deputy Shortall that the only amount of money being given for the project was in the region of €35,000. Some €402,000 was given to the school completion programme in Ballymun. That is on top of the extra supports which all those schools have by way of home school, community liaison, resource teachers etc. It is a very good school completion programme providing general support for almost 1,600 primary students and approximately 600 post-primary students. Intensive targeted supports are provided for 201 primary students and 52 post-primary students. It also caters for the six pupils particularly mentioned by the Deputy.

The school completion programme has submitted its retention plan for the coming year, which outlines all its proposed activities for the coming year, including the estimated cost of retaining the support for the six pupils who are out of school in the "school group." It is not just a case of looking for €35,000. They are looking for that on top of the €402,000.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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I am referring specifically to the school group.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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That is part of the overall school completion programme. The funding allocation for next year is currently being considered and the local management committee will be notified directly on the matter. The good work being done should be borne in mind along with available resources for the rest of the programmes around the country.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Is that a "Yes" or a "No"?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call Deputy O'Connor. Deputy Crowe will speak on the same issue as Deputy O'Connor.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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The Minister is surely not going to let it close. It would be criminal to do so.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I remind Deputy Shortall that the Chair is speaking.