Averil Power (Fianna Fail)

I urge the Government to provide the same level of funding for the City of Dublin Youth Service Board as it has done heretofore in order that it can continue to support the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service. The project is based in Darndale and covers the entire area of Dublin 17, including Priorswood and Coolock, which as the Minister of State will be aware, is one of the most socially disadvantaged areas of the country.

The Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service is doing fantastic work with young people in the area. It deals with children from the age of ten years to the time they become young adults at the age of 21 and has been getting great results. The new building constructed for it several years ago contains excellent facilities and it has top quality staff and volunteers from the community, including individuals who benefited from the project and now want to give something back. It is keeping children out of trouble and helping to increase their self-respect by offering a level of support they may not receive at home.

Youth projects such as the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service play an important role in tackling problems such as social exclusion, mental health, youth suicide - one of the biggest problems the country faces, drug abuse and teen pregnancies. It would be short-sighted to cut funding for the project in question if it meant it could no longer reach these children. Earlier this week I joined other public representatives in attending a meeting to discuss the impact even a small cut would have on the project's services. It has already pared back its activities to the limit and any further cuts would have a severely negative impact on young people in Darndale, Coolock and Priorswood.

Has the funding level for next year for the City of Dublin Youth Service Board which, in turn, funds the Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service, been determined? This issue has generated a degree of confusion locally. The service has heard that the board knows how much it will receive in 2012, but project staff have not yet been informed. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate the level of stress caused by the inability to decide staffing and programmes for next year. I am aware of the pressure under which the Government must operate and acknowledge the need to make cuts in the coming budget, but, from a long-term point of view, this is not the area to target because the children in question only have one chance. It would be crazy to take it away from them now when we can prevent them from getting into trouble because we would otherwise have to spend multiple amounts to deal with the social costs that ensue for the children, their families and communities. I urge the Minister of State to prevent this from happening.