Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise the matter of Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre, which is situated between Cootehill and Rockcroory in County Monaghan. The centre is operated by County Monaghan VEC and excellent work is being done there. Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre was established in 1992 and has gone from strength to strength since its foundation. The centre has received €125,000 from the Department of Education and Science in the last three years.

Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre has developed an excellent reputation and County Monaghan VEC, which had the foresight to develop it, must be complimented. The centre is in an ideal location close to Dartrey Forest, where many of its outdoor activities take place. The well known Annaghmakerrig House is also nearby.

The centre is quite close to the Border. It is 70 miles from Belfast Airport and 70 miles from Dublin, which makes it ideal for cross-Border activities. The property belongs to the Order of the Sacred Heart, which has leased it to the VEC for a nominal fee. In that sense, the VEC is getting excellent value for its money. The nearest outdoor education centres to the one in Tanagh are located in Counties Donegal and Louth. In that sense, the centre has a considerable population base and many local people make excellent use of the facilities. Last year, 10,000 people used the Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre and took part in activities such as rock climbing, hill walking, archery and canoeing. The vast majority of the users of the centre are young people and there is a considerable cross-Border dimension to the centre's activities. A large number of youth organisations make use of the centre and return on an annual basis.

To date in 2006 there has been an 11% increase in the numbers using the centre, on foot of a 43% increase between 2004 and 2005. The numbers using the centre are increasing all the time. At a time of growing concerns about public health and obesity and with young people complaining about having nothing to do, the Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre serves as a wonderful example to people.

I saw a television programme last night which suggested that the two communities in Northern Ireland are becoming more polarised. Activities such as those organised at the Tanagh centre, funded through co-operation, are a proven way of breaking down barriers. It would be a tragedy were Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre not to receive funding from the Government.

Over the years it has been difficult for County Monaghan VEC to fund the centre and provide new services. The VEC now wishes to upgrade the facilities at Tanagh. The buildings and toilets are not up to the required standard. The small amount of money needed to upgrade the premises should be provided. A rare opportunity exists to extend the centre by buying some land from Coillte, at a cost of €106,000. The Department should grasp that opportunity with both hands and encourage the VEC to head in that direction. It should reassure the VEC that its activities are good for the area and for cross-Border co-operation. In the current circumstances, it would be eminently reasonable for the Minister for Education and Science to sanction the purchasing of the property and to provide the modest sum of €106,000 needed to secure the future of Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre. With a relatively small amount of Government funding the whole complex can be enhanced and the future of the centre secured. This is too great an opportunity to be missed. The centre carries out excellent work.

We constantly hear complaints that children and young people have nothing to do but centres such as the one in Tanagh address that. Last Summer 2,000 people had to be turned away, so successful is the centre. The Government should fund the centre and I call on the Minister to do so.

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Outdoor education centres, such as the centre in Tanagh, County Monaghan, have been developed by vocational education committees in the interests of providing outdoor education programmes to enhance the quality of the educational experience for young people. Outdoor education programmes aim to foster greater environmental awareness, break down social barriers and prejudices, encourage the development of personal competencies, enhance life skills and promote healthy lifestyles.

The VEC outdoor education centres cater mainly for primary and post-primary students, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also cater for third level students, youth groups, special needs groups and adults. At certain times, particularly during school holiday periods when the centres are not fully utilised for educational purposes, they generate additional income by providing courses on a commercial basis for the leisure and tourism market. Over 100,000 activity days are provided by outdoor education centres for school pupils. Currently there are nine recognised VEC outdoor education centres and a further three centres, including the one in Tanagh, that are not recognised by the Department.

Funding was originally approved for outdoor education centres on the basis that they would be self financing and that their financial activities would be separate from the overall VEC finances. Accordingly, the Department's annual grants are contributory in nature and the allocations go mainly towards the core staffing costs involved in running the centres. The funding provided by the Department for the centres, including the one at Tanagh, has increased considerably in recent years and now stands at some €2 million annually. Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre has also benefited from a significant increase in its allocation, from €98,000 in 1998 to over €130,000 in 2006.

County Monaghan VEC has requested that formal recognition be given by the Department to the Tanagh Outdoor Education Centre. Discussions have taken place between the Department and the VEC on the matter and the Department anticipates that when governance, management and financial arrangements to apply in the centre have been finalised, the matter of recognition of the centre can be addressed.