David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 295 of 6 March 2007, the amount that was made available from the vote of the Minister with responsibility for children to support the establishment of youth cafes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32254/07]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Teenspace, the National Recreation Policy was launched last September. Funding provided in the OMC Vote in 2007 for recreation related to printing, launch and dissemination of the policy which has been taking place since September. My Office has contacted the relevant agencies and departments, advising them of the actions appropriate to them and seeking their inclusion in statements of strategy, business plans, and spending plans for 2008.

There are already a number of youth cafés in operation around the country funded in different ways. At this stage, my focus is to bring better coherence to the approach taken to date, retaining the strong inter-agency element and identify an appropriate model(s) for youth cafés for future developments. Since September my office has undertaken a small survey of some of the existing cafés looking at mission/objectives, management and organisation, service levels and the role of young people. I have recently requested the National Children's Advisory Council's advice on the development of a youth café model and contracts to undertake this work will be signed shortly. This work will ensure that funding is targeted and co-ordinated most effectively on a model or models of youth cafés which meet the needs identified by young people themselves. Discussions are underway with my Cabinet colleagues regarding a youth café programme and appropriate funding mechanisms. I am considering which agency could best lead on the programme and how to ensure any funding which might be made available augments, without displacing, the existing inter-agency resources.