James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is good to see the Acting Chair, Senator Rabbitte, back in office. This is the first opportunity I have had to engage with Senator Lynch. I congratulate her on her election. I look forward to working with her and other Members of the Upper House on many matters, particularly those relating to my brief.

I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue. As I know she is very aware, Youthreach is a vital programme designed to support young people who have left school early. Senator Lynch gave some statistics on the users of the service in Macroom which I have noted. I assure Senator Lynch that An tSeirbhís Oideachais Leanúnaigh agus Scileanna, SOLAS, and Cork Education and Training Board, ETB, are very much engaged on this issue and are working together to progress a facility to ensure the continuation of the service.

Cork ETB runs the Youthreach centre in Macroom. It also provides services for a wide geographic area. I visited Cork and met the ETB on Friday last. The reason for my visit was the 30th anniversary of the Dillon's Cross project. This is a fantastic programme providing diverse paths to and from education for prison inmates. There is education for those in prison and for the families and spouses of people in prison. I was in Cork City Hall to celebrate this occasion with Cork ETB. I also had a separate meeting with the ETB executive. I met Dennis Leamy, the director further education, John Fitzgibbons, and several ETB board members, including Councillor Gillian Coughlan, chair of Cork ETB. We discussed a variety of matters relating to education in the Cork area.

As Senator Lynch knows, Youthreach provides integrated education, training and work experience, and focuses on personal development, literacy, numeracy and vocational skills. It offers a lifeline to many, with a second chance to build a brighter future. Almost 6,000 places are available nationwide under the Youthreach umbrella every year.

The kernel of Senator Lynch's matter relates to Macroom, and I will speak about the Youthreach service there in particular. I had an opportunity to visit Macroom last year in my previous role as Minister of State at the Department of Transport. I visited with Deputy Andreas Moynihan. We visited the sorting office, Millstreet train station up the road, the bus station in Macroom and a number of other sites. I am familiar with the town and I am familiar with some of the sites being proposed and considered.

The lease on the current building expired in 2012. Despite ongoing efforts, a new agreement with the landlord has not yet been reached. Property searches for alternative leased buildings have not been successful either. An interim arrangement is in place at present, but I note Senator Lynch's comments and agree the building is not in good condition.I also take on board the Senator's comments about health and safety and so forth. I understand the need for a suitable learning environment for both students and staff. Towards that end, SOLAS, supported by my Department, is supporting Cork ETB in seeking to develop a facility in Macroom to enable the continuation of delivery of Youthreach services and potentially expand further education and training delivery in areas of adult education. Discussions with a prospective new landlord are in progress. An application for a lease sanction is expected. However, that requires clear cost estimates and building works and a timeframe to be supplied and available.

Macroom Youthreach centre offers young people, aged 15 to 20, who are out of mainstream education an alternative educational pathway. It is approved for 20 Youthreach places, working with each individual student, placing emphasis on academic skills along with practical life skills in preparation for the wider world. There are various awards on offer across levels 3 and 4 on a variety of courses, which I am sure the Senator is familiar with: work experience; woodwork; career planning; personal effectiveness; literacy; computer literacy; horticulture; culinary arts; and many others.

The next steps, to get to the nub of the matter, involve the completion of a due diligence report by Cork ETB, SOLAS and the property oversight group, which is a cross-departmental team comprising officials from my Department and the Department of Education. They must consider the available options, including the prospective landlord currently being discussed, taking into consideration value for money, assessment of needs and climate targets.

I stress that we are keen - as Minister, I am very keen - to arrive at a solution, but there is still some work to be done at a more local level in terms of ironing out the details about the pledge of property that is being considered. As soon as the terms are favourable, I assure the Senator that I will not be found wanting in progressing the matter.