David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, for coming to the House to take this Adjournment matter. I draw to the Minister's attention a project which operates in County Waterford, Ballybeg community education project, which has been in place for many years. It provides a useful and worthwhile service for many young people who live in a so-called disadvantaged area in Waterford. It is a schools completion programme but offers much more. The pupils attend three and four times per week for two to three hours and avail of study support, homework assistance, tutorials for examination year students. It also provides comprehensive youth work programmes, mentoring, career guidance and healthy lifestyle based recreation. It is available for pupils ranging from fourth class in primary to sixth year at second level. The programme provides an excellent service for those young people. I pay tribute to all those associated with the project.

The project is community-based and community-managed. That has been a useful exercise and has worked well up to now. It has received funding through the Waterford schools completion programme which has, effectively, acted as a conduit, with the money coming from the Department. Recently there have been some changes to the project. Those concerned are concerned at the implications for the project and the young people who avail of it. The project is for 55 young people each year and it gives them the supports they need to remain in school. We would all accept that is a worthwhile objective, the funding for which is €60,000 per year. While that is a large sum of money, it is a small amount considering the service provided.

The Department intends to remove the autonomy from the project. Essentially, it is trying to subsume the project into the Waterford schools completion programme. That will result in the disappearance of the community-based element of the programme. The reason the project has been successful is because it is community-managed and community-run and is accountable back to the community and has a community board of management who understand the needs of the young people who live in the community. If the community element and autonomy is removed from the project, those involved would regard that as a retrograde step and ask the Government to consider it.

Given that the project comes within the remit of the overall Waterford schools completion programme, there is a concern about funding because there is no guarantee the project will be funded post September 2012. That is a matter of major concern to those who manage the project and the community individuals involved in helping to run the project and also the young people who have availed of its services. A presentation was given in the audio-visual room by those who manage the project and the community board of management. They spoke of the success of the project, how young people in the community have benefited and of the cost, both socially and economically, of removing the funding of such a project which would be immense. They are asking for two things, first, that the current status, in terms of the community-based element and project autonomy, remains and, second, for some certainty about their funding. They want to provide the service and continue with the successful programme that was put in place. That is obviously desirable both for the community and those who benefit from the programme. I have spoken to many young people who have come through the programme and have benefited. They have gone on to do good work in their community, get jobs and have been successful but they would not have had the opportunity to do so were that programme not in place. It is a form of school completion programme and provides extended services beyond what the national school completion programme provides. It is a different type of project to that although somewhat similar. That is why the people concerned want to keep its autonomy, keep its difference and uniqueness going and have security about the funding so that they can continue.

I ask the Minister to relate these points to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, and ask her to communicate directly with the project to ensure there is a satisfactory outcome for all involved.