Averil Power (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to discuss the need for urgent accommodation for the Priorswood outreach service, Sphere 17. This service provides a wide range of services for young people from Darndale, Bonnybrook and Priorswood areas of Dublin 17, which is one of the most socially disadvantaged parts of the whole country. Last year, the service worked with over 1,250 people between the ages of ten and 21. It is a huge service and, through its programmes, Sphere 17 provides positive and enjoyable ways for young people to spend their time, provides a drop in service where teenagers can play pool and hang out with their friends in an alcohol-free environment throughout the year, and provides young people with opportunities to engage in arts programmes and other initiatives they would otherwise not have.

They do hugely important health promotion work, running alcohol and drug awareness and teen pregnancy programmes. They also undertake mental health initiatives, which are important, particularly for at risk young people, and a wide range of other important initiatives. Through all this, they help to improve young people's self-esteem and confidence in themselves and encourage them to avail of opportunities in school and elsewhere, to believe in themselves and to build a better future. The team covers three areas - Darndale, Priorswood and Bonnybrook.

The team in Priorswood provides an incredible service but the staff are working in incredibly bad physical conditions. They work out of a portakabin, which was only ever intended to be short-term accommodation. It is in a dreadful state, having been run down over the years. It is currently closed because it was broken into yet again. It is a particularly vulnerable building. It is easy to break into and it cannot be used at the moment. The staff are managing to cope with the summer programmes because, apart from today's horrendous weather, they have been lucky with the weather. They have been able to put on initiatives outdoors but that will not be a possibility heading into the winter. They badly need a new purpose built, secure building to replace the portakabin to provide this valuable service.

They have raised €55,000 with great effort and they are seeking €100,000 under the youth cafe capital programme. I wrote to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs about this a number of months ago. I understand the application is being considered but the reason I tabled this matter is to draw her attention to the application again. I appreciate many groups have applied for this funding but there is a particularly urgent need in this area because the present accommodation is in such bad condition and it cannot even be used now because of the recent break-in. This is an urgent issue. This is an excellent organisation with a fantastic track record. The staff will make sure every euro they are given in funding will be well spent and it will enable them to continue to provide a great quality service for young people in the Priorswood area.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs who is attending a Government meeting.

The Minister is conscious of the great benefits that can accrue to our young people from involvement in youth work and the benefits for society as a whole. Youth projects and organisations present valuable opportunities for the social and personal development of young people. Qualities and skills such as leadership, co-operation, decision-making, motivation, and self-responsibility can be acquired in a learning by doing manner. The aim of the youth service is to assist all young people to become active participants in a democratic society. In essence, the primary objective of the youth service is to help realise the potential of each young person and to facilitate their full participation in community life.

The youth affairs unit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of some €53.498 million is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at-risk young people are provided through the youth service grant scheme, the special projects for youth, SPY, scheme, the young peoples facilities and services fund, YPFSF, rounds 1 and 2 and local drugs task force, LDFT projects, youth information centres as well as other initiatives such as the local youth club grant scheme. The focus of this financial support in 2013, as in previous years, is on the consolidation of existing youth work provision and on the safeguarding of front-line programmes, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

The Minister is very much aware of the valuable services provided by Sphere 17 regional youth service to young people aged between ten and 21 years in areas such as Bonnybrook, Darndale and Priorswood in Dublin 17. Sphere 17 provides young people with a wide range of programmes and activities, seven days a week which reflect their needs, interests, capacity and age profile. These programmes and activities include personal and social development with a particular focus on recreation, education and health. Projects engage with young people in an open, creative and health focused way using a variety of youth friendly approaches. A team of trained and dedicated staff works with and for young people in the Dublin 17 area supporting them to achieve their potential and contribute positively to their communities. The Department provides funding to Sphere 17 regional youth service under a number of funding schemes. These are the SPY scheme, YPFSF rounds 1 and 2 and the LDTF. Funding of €788,839 has been allocated to Sphere 17 in 2013.

The overall budget of €53.498 million for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2013 includes capital funding of €1.75 million. Of this funding up to €1 million is available for fit-out, refurbishment works or building enhancement projects for the start-up of new youth cafes. A total of 95 applications was received under the youth cafe scheme this year, which is being administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and the Department understands that an application for capital funding under this scheme was received from Sphere 17. The initial appraisal process of the applications received is in the final stages. It is expected that applications that are successful will go through to the next round of the process and will be notified in the coming weeks. The final decisions about youth cafes to be funded under this scheme will be made at the end of October 2013. Details of the application process for the remaining youth capital funding which amounts to €500,000 in 2013 will be available in due course.

Averil Power (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I also thank him for his positive comments about Sphere 17. It is an excellent service and I am glad the Department appreciates that. Will he bring the recent break-in to the Minister's attention and the fact that the building in Priorswood cannot be used in order that she will be aware of the urgency of this application? Will he extend an invitation to her to visit the current site and meet the young people who avail of the services? He is also welcome. That would be great and they would love to have the Minister or the Minister of State visit them. I would appreciate it if he conveyed my remarks to the Minister.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Senator's interest in this matter. I am sure the Minister would be more than willing to go and have a look at what is being done. I am impressed that €55,000 has been raised locally. All these matters will be brought to the Minister's attention. I thank the Senator for her contribution.