Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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461. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for funded recreational programs for young persons; if she will work with the Minister for Justice in order to address antisocial behaviour as the country reopens after the pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25588/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department will contribute €3,427,000 in funding to Creative Youth Plan Initiatives in 2021. A number of the initiatives under the Creative Youth Plan are delivered by my Department in partnership with other Departments including the Creative Schools, Creative Clusters and Local Community Youth Partnership initiatives and provide a number of recreational opportunities for students around the country.

I also recently announced a €100,000 fund for grants to organisations delivering music education. The purpose of the scheme is to provide support by way of a cash grant to established, smaller-scale, non-mainstream music education/community music initiatives with limited or no access to other forms of public funding. Grants can be used to purchase instruments, other equipment and tuition 

Last week together with Minister Madigan I announced the provision of expanded summer education programmes for pupils with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage, as a Covid-19 pandemic response measure, for summer 2021.

Under this expansion of the summer programme, students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage will have access to an enhanced summer programme of education. The total funding available to provide the programme is up to €40 million, a one hundred per cent increase on the allocation for summer provision in 2020. 

The programmes are available to all primary and post primary free education schools, including all DEIS Schools, and aims to support pupils to re-engage with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote well-being and for some who are at key transition stages, help to ensure they can move on to their planned educational placement next September along with their peers.

With regard to collaborative working arrangements with the Department of Justice, my Department was represented on the Working Group that developed the Youth Justice Strategy, and contributed to its development. The Strategy was launched by the Department of Justice in April this year.

The Youth Justice Strategy is an interagency plan that focuses on children and young people who require targeted, strategic attention because their behaviour has led to their involvement with the youth justice system. This Strategy is designed to provide a developmental framework to address those key challenges, including new and emerging issues. A key focus in this Strategy is considering how youth justice policy might be more closely aligned to other child and youth polices, and to promotion of community and local development. A key priority is prevention and early intervention.

The Strategy emphasises evidence-informed development of programmes and interventions. Implementation of the Strategy will prioritise enhancement of existing services such as Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) and developing a range of more specialised interventions with a particular focus on harder-to-reach children and young people. Officials in my Department will continue to work closely with officials in the Department of Justice as the strategy is implemented.