Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I welcome this debate. Senator Fitzgerald has commented that it is the first debate he can recall on this issue in this House, and it is a matter which we should debate regularly from now on, perhaps every few months or once a year. We often debate issues relevant to young people, and Senator Fitzgerald mentioned that we have many debates on third-level education and so on. All issues are relevant to young people and what are called youth issues can be relevant to us all. This is similar to what are termed "women's issues", which can also be relevant to everybody.

This debate came about primarily because Senator McHugh of Fine Gael asked for it on foot of a recent survey carried out by the National Youth Council of Ireland concerning the attitudes of young people. One of the statistics in the survey concerned how young people perceived politicians as having a negative attitude towards them. That is one of the reasons this debate was called for.

When we discussed having this debate, I called on the Leader to invite representatives from youth groups. I am sure she did that, and the National Youth Council of Ireland was clearly aware of it as it sent an e-mail to me. It has a representative in the Visitors Gallery and I welcome its presence. The National Youth Council of Ireland often sends briefings to me, which are very welcome. We should meet with young people's groups on a regular basis.

The National Youth Council of Ireland might consider seeking to meet with representatives of each political group in the Seanad in addition to the briefings sent by e-mail, etc. I would be available if they are to make contact. It may be appropriate to contact each party leader, as well as the leader of the Independent group. I hope the various groups would feel free to talk to us at any time.

Many young people do not vote, although this is also a general problem. People do not get a vote until the age of 18, although one can have very strong opinions before then. We should consider the issue. If we miss engagement with people at that time of their life, it can set up a pattern of not voting for the rest of people's lives. Some people do not vote when they are young and begin to vote later in life, but some people are lost from democratic participation, which is a terrible shame. Many such people have important issues that need to be addressed and the only way to do this is through the political system.

Politicians must engage more with young people. I was recently asked in a questionnaire if I thought politicians were more remote from young people than they were 15 years ago. I do not think they are, and the generation gap has narrowed. Politicians are people like everybody else, and the generation gap applies to them as well. Politicians must nonetheless do more, and we should consider different methods. Taking, for example, the Oireachtas website, we should make it more attractive and easier for people to engage with. In this regard American websites often have special links for school students, which we do not have. They should be introduced.

I will mention some of the points in the briefing given to me by the National Youth Council of Ireland. It welcomes the debate, and it has indicated that there are over 50 youth organisations in the Republic of Ireland, mobilising 40,000 volunteers and 800 paid staff, who serve over 750,000 young people. Much work is being done on the ground with young people, something which I know from experience. It is interesting to see a statistic which gives an idea of the amount of people involved. The National Youth Council of Ireland makes the point that young people are not a problem to be solved and youth work is not primarily about solving social problems. It is about adults and young people working together to further personal, community and social development and in doing so, to prevent problems occurring in the first place.

One of the principles singled out by the council is the need for young people to be involved in decisions that affect them. That is contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and it has been incorporated into some of the policy documents in this country. The National Children's Office has incorporated the principle in its document on play facilities. The bodies which would implement the policy are not coming on board. I have dealt with my local authority in South Dublin County Council, which would be similar to other local authorities, and it has not implemented many recommendations of the national play policy, despite it being the main body for implementation. The authorities barely go through the motions of involving young people in decisions about planning and recreational facilities, mentioned in particular by the National Youth Council of Ireland.

It is very important to involve young people in planning and trying to ensure that facilities are in place. There is a great dearth in facilities for young people and teenagers or people in their early 20s in particular. People used to be more tolerant of people hanging around on the streets than they are now. People do not want youths hanging around in the streets, yet no alternatives are provided. It is important to provide facilities and to involve young people in decisions as to what facilities they want and are appropriate for their area.

A youth café has been established in my area which opens once a week. It comprises a coffee dock and refreshments are supplied, but no alcohol. There is a jukebox, a disco and sometimes a live band. It has been very successful and is the type of facility we need to provide in community centres all over the country.

Another example, also in my area, is a youth service provided by the VEC in a newly-opened community centre in Lucan. From the moment the community centre was mooted I pushed for a youth service of this nature, especially one tailored to the tastes of teenagers. We have made a start but much more needs to be done and the issue is one of general planning. We build houses but do not provide facilities for young people.

I received a briefing from the National Youth Council of Ireland which referred to a five-year national youth work development plan, due to be adopted next year. The amount needed to implement it was estimated at €37 million but the amount provided so far has fallen well below that. The NYCI is calling for the plan to be implemented by the end of 2008 and wants €10 million to be provided next year and the following year. It makes other recommendations, such as that Garda vetting be made compulsory and resourced, that the Tipping the Balance report, dealing with volunteering, be implemented, and it suggested a national fund for building capacity for youth groups involving an element of capital funding to buy equipment, etc.

The briefing mentioned that some funding is being provided, such as for the national play policy, but that is often allocated to disadvantaged areas such as those in the RAPID programme. It is an important policy but it makes local authorities and Departments lazy. They look for the easiest and least time-consuming way to spend money so automatically decide on RAPID areas. There should be much more planning of how to spend money for young people in general.

The National Youth Council of Ireland recommends a national plan for the provision of facilities for young people, which I support. Disadvantage can be measured in different ways and I fully support, as I have done in the past, investment in disadvantaged communities, such as those so designated under the RAPID scheme. However, many communities which fall just short of RAPID designation have not received enough investment in recent years. Disadvantage can exist in communities that are considered middle class. For example, in Lucan there has been a very significant amount of development but families struggle to pay their mortgage and both parents must work. There are no facilities for teenagers, which has already led to social problems and will lead to more in the future unless action is taken now.