Dáil debates
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Topical Issue Debate
Educational Projects
4:55 pm
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The next matter is in the names of Deputies Martin Ferris and Michael Healy-Rae to the Minister for Education and Skills concerning the need to provide support to Kerry Life Skills Will Deputy Ferris indicate whether his colleague from County Kerry is in attendance in the House?
Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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No, he has asked me to make the presentation. Unfortunately, he was obliged to return to County Kerry and is unable to be present.
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Very well. Deputy Ferris has four minutes.
Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Acting Chairman; that is very decent. Deputy Healy-Rae, the Minister of State and I are no strangers to the position in which Kerry Life Skills finds itself. We also are aware of the tremendous work it does in delivering social, personal and health education support to primary and secondary school students. It works in partnership with schools, families, communities and other agencies to empower children and young people to make choices and to support their well-being. It provides engaging and dynamic health and well-being support to 144 primary schools as well as to 18 secondary schools in the Kerry, north Cork and west Limerick area. Its service is youth-centred and needs-led. Programmes are evidence-based and are developed through a process of consultation with students, teaching staff, parents and community agencies in the areas on which Kerry Life Skills believes one should focus. It is a mobile service that travels to the heart of the communities it serves.
Kerry Life Skills primarily is self-funded up to the amount of €86,500, and I believe its overall running costs are approximately €170,000. This leaves a shortfall of €83,500 and this must be met by a variety of charitable sources. It receives some funding from local authorities, some corporate sponsorship and contributions from schools as well as benefiting from fund-raising and public donations. Nevertheless, this still leaves the organisation with a shortfall of €83,500. The service it provides is invaluable to young people in particular, both primary and secondary students, who range in age from four up to 19. Neither the Minister of State nor Deputy Healy-Rae nor any Deputy from County Kerry needs any reminder of the work it does there as well as in west Limerick and north Cork. The charity is overseen by a voluntary board of directors who give freely of their time at no cost.
The charity seeks some support from the Government and it would be a great statement in recognition of the work it does and the service it provides were the Government prepared on behalf of the State to make funding available, certainly the outstanding funding of €83,500, which is small money when one considers the great work Kerry Life Skills does for young people. I hope the Minister of State will look upon this matter positively and will have a positive answer for Deputy Healy-Rae and me. I am quite confident the Minister of State has the same ethos of support regarding what Kerry Life Skills is trying to achieve and about making available the financial funding for that. I await his answer.
Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputies Martin Ferris and Michael Healy-Rae for raising this matter and acknowledge the presence of Deputy Ferris in the Chamber. I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, who unfortunately is unable to attend to take the matter herself. The Minister certainly welcomes the work done by Kerry Life Skills in Kerry, north Cork and west Limerick in the area of the future health and well-being of young people by helping them to make healthy choices. The area of well-being is a priority for her Department. As noted, its funding is mainly derived from local authorities and other sponsors. The Minister must prioritise funding of mainstream education initiatives and resources in both primary and post-primary schools. For example, the Department has published Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in 2012, which was developed to implement action 2.1 of Reach Out: National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention 2005-2014. In addition, three documents on bullying have been prepared for schools and for parents to respond to the action plan on bullying published in 2013.
Social, personal and health education, SPHE, programmes are delivered in all primary and post-primary schools. The Department of Education and Skills, in partnership with the Health Service Executive, provides continuing professional development, CPD, to teachers to enhance the quality of their teaching and learning in this vital area. The SPHE programme contains a number of specific games that are relevant to positive mental health and well-being. These include promoting all aspects of a young person's health, fostering a sense of care and respect for himself or herself and enabling him or her to make informed decisions and choices about all aspects of life, including health. The Minister has prioritised well-being as a principle in the new framework for junior cycle. The junior cycle years are a critical time in young people's lives and the Minister wishes to ensure young people are given the confidence to be happy, healthy, well-connected and resilient.
While the Minister congratulates Kerry Life Skills on its work, she must note it is not possible for her or her Department at this time to divert scarce resources to local initiatives, including the Kerry Life Skills initiative, since she must prioritise whatever funds are available, for example, to the delivery of SPHE to all schools and for the development of the new well-being approach.
Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am very disappointed that the line Minister cannot find €83,500, which is less than any single Deputy in this Dáil receives, and which could be used to benefit many young people in 119 primary schools and 18 secondary schools. When one considers the money that is required, I note the organisation is putting up 51% of the funding itself and the areas covered by it, namely, County Kerry, north Cork and west Limerick, have not yet enjoyed any sign of recovery. It is an insult to the commitment and dedication of Kerry Life Skills that the Government cannot find €83,500, especially given the acknowledgement by the Minister of State, other public representatives and me of the work it does as well as the acknowledgement by the Minister herself for the work it does.
Will the Minister of State, as a member of the Government, revert to the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and ask her to reconsider her refusal? It is the least these people deserve for the work they are putting in, most of which is voluntary, as well as the service they provide to young people from the age of four up to 19, particularly in the type of environment in which we find ourselves at present. I again thank the Minister of State personally for his reply and acknowledge that he is as committed as I am or as is Deputy Healy-Rae. However, he probably will have a lot more influence with his party colleagues and certainly with the Government than we would.
Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ferris and concur completely with him on the contribution the Kerry Life Skills initiative has made to the health of young people in counties Kerry, Cork and Limerick. I certainly will take back to the Minister the points he has made and I will appeal to her again to provide the critical funding to ensure the survival of this programme. I again thank the Deputy.