The Government's announcement that it will supply £30m over a three-year period, for the provision of youth facility services in urban areas of social deprivation, high unemployment and drug abuse is very welcome. The fact that the decision represents a policy U-turn and was taken under considerable political and community pressure will make no difference to the young people who the fund is intended to help. The big picture is what matters and, in this instance, some of the most deprived young people in our society will be given a helping hand and provided with facilities which may insulate them from the scourge of drug-abuse.
Ever since the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, announced the provision of £20m for a three-year building programme at Croke Park in the Budget - and the allocation of £20m towards youth recreational facilities was dropped - a head of steam has been building up within the most deprived communities in this State. The opposition parties, which had voted £20m towards community facilities in government, were incensed. Thirteen local drugs' task forces sought a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Finance; Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Democratic Left called for the reinstatement of the £20m and prepared to raise the issue in the Dail, while the Dublin City-Wide Drugs Crisis Campaign planned a demonstration outside Leinster House next week.
In the face of that growing campaign, the Government reversed engines. But it did so in some style, announcing an increase from £20m to £30m in the amount of money to be provided over three years. And it undertook that at least two-thirds of the money would be targeted at four urban areas particularly affected by heroin abuse. They are: the North-East Inner City, the Canal communities and Jobstown, all in Dublin, and Togher in Cork. An initial allocation of £1.25m, in the current year, is being increased to £7.5m to support a variety of capital and non-capital projects in unspecified disadvantaged areas.
A new scheme entitled "Programme for Young People at Risk" will be funded by the Government and allocations will be made by a special Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion, chaired by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. Community facilities, such as swimming pools, playing pitches, halls - and even stabling and grazing for horses - are all included.
In responding to these needs, the Government should not lose sight of last year's assertion by Mr Michael Smurfit that Irish business had a vested interest in ensuring the creation of a stable and law-abiding society and should be prepared to contribute financially towards it. By soliciting matching funds from the corporate sector for specific projects, the Government should be able to accelerate progress in the most deprived areas while expanding the concept of social partnership which underpins much of our economic success.