Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for attending the House today. I welcome the opportunity to talk about how we can best serve the young people of all our communities and try to steer them away from criminal activities to find a more positive and productive path. Far too many young men and women are tempted into following nefarious paths and keeping them in education and out of trouble is becoming much more of a struggle. That does not mean we give up. In fact, we need to double down on efforts to offer a viable alternative to a life of crime or long-term unemployment.

I will raise an issue plaguing communities across the country, which the Minister of State also raised, namely, the misuse of scramblers. This was most recently brought to a national light with the tragic death of 18-year-old Jason Monks in Citywest two weeks ago.I am currently working with the families of two young boys aged nine and ten in east Meath who were badly injured after being hit by scramblers in separate incidents in their own estate, one in his own front garden. There is nothing wrong with the vehicles themselves. It is the dangerous and illegal way they are being ridden that is the problem. I welcome the recent tightening of laws that allows for the seizure of vehicles and greater powers for gardaí, but this is not a good enough deterrent. There need to be greater sanctions, possibly even on the parents who are purchasing these expensive and very dangerous toys.

In conjunction with that, we need to look at offering safer alternatives to keep youths engaged and interested. Again, as referenced by the Minister of State, back in 2024, the then Minister of State with responsibility for law reform and youth justice, Deputy James Browne, provided €200,000 in funding to eight community-based projects to work with young people involved in the antisocial use of scramblers and quad bikes and related crime. The projects consulted An Garda Síochána and local authorities to provide tracks and related facilities, and they encouraged young people to engage positively to learn motorcycle skills, including maintenance, combined with relevant educational and personal development activities. Given the rise of scrambler misuse, I ask that perhaps we audit the success rate of those projects to see if funding could be sourced to reintroduce a similar scheme throughout the country, particularly in Louth and east Meath.

We also need to look after the successful schemes we have but which are in dire need of funding. The Footsteps project is a personal youth development programme based in Moneymore in Drogheda which serves young men and women aged 16 to 24. Its current funding will run out in December 2026 and this impending gap could have a devastating effect on the vital services it provides to vulnerable young people in this largely disadvantaged community. Since Footsteps began in 2017, 46 participants have benefited, leading to long-lasting outcomes as they become adults. Three have gone on to sit on the board of the Connect Family Resource Centre in Drogheda, showcasing their growth and commitment to community involvement and leadership. They have also celebrated achievements, such as the leadership for life graduation, and have made huge strides in breaking the cycle of young women from low socioeconomic areas not attending college and diverting young people from antisocial behaviour, the reason we are here today. Their efforts have also been recognised with a Louth Garda youth award and the Deargh Armstrong award for outstanding community contribution, highlighting the positive impact on the youth they serve.

Sadly, in recent months, two projects have ended due to lack of funding and they are currently at capacity, with a waiting list of young people seeking support. It is crucial they secure the necessary funding to continue these essential programmes, which have been funded by the International Fund for Ireland, with the plan being for them to be mainstreamed by a Department. Eight years later, however, they still remain dependent on unsustainable funding streams and urgently require a Department or multidepartmental approach to mainstream projects such as Footpaths. In many cases, the programmes are already in place and we should do our best to allow them to continue the good work they already do in keeping our young people away from crime.