Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 320: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reasons that the National Recreation Policy has been continually pushed back to later dates; when the Government plans to launch this instrument; if she is in receipt of correspondence from a centre (details supplied) in County Galway; if her attention has been drawn to this centre's calls for a café and drop-in centre; her views on this request; if such a request will be granted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12550/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the valuable work being undertaken by the many groups and organisations around the country who are engaged in the provision of services and programmes for young people. I recently received correspondence from the Centre about the provision of facilities for teenagers in its locality and I will be responding over the coming days.

A National Recreation Policy has been to the forefront of this Government's commitment to improving the lives of young people in Ireland. Accordingly, it is my intention to publish the National Recreation Policy for Young People at the earliest opportunity. One of the key aspects of the policy is the provision of more recreational facilities and in particular, the establishment of youth cafés, identified by young people as their single biggest need. The policy recognises that youth cafés offer great potential for providing a wide range of developmental, educational and information programmes to young people and that the provision of such services within these settings will require a cross-departmental and inter-agency collaborative approach through a formal partnership process.