Last week, at the national conference of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, new figures emerged indicating that guidance counsellor hours in second level schools had been cut by 25%. The figures, which were provided by the Minister for Education and Skills, were an upward revision of estimates made previously by guidance counsellors. The Minister failed to address a more revealing statistic, however, showing that cuts introduced last September have resulted in a 51% reduction in counselling services for essential one-to-one work at a time when, according to many school principals, demand for counselling services has reached crisis level.

The Tánaiste will be aware that guidance counselling is critical for second level students as they make important decisions to cope with a broad range of personal difficulties. School is a good place to nip in the bud the distress that may be experienced subsequently at significant social and fiscal cost to the State. The bottom line is that students are suffering as a result of these short-sighted cuts. An astonishing one in ten children is presenting with some form of depression or serious mental health problem.

The Tánaiste is aware that teenagers are especially reluctant to ask for help. For this reason, it matters more than ever that signs are detected early. Many of today's stress related problems were unknown to the older generation because they are linked to modern, fast-paced lifestyles. Body image, cyberbullying and severe peer pressure have all contributed to teenagers being at greater risk of depression, sometimes with disastrous and desperate consequences, including young people taking their life. Last week, I spoke to a school principal in Dublin who has attended two funerals of teenagers who have taken their lives.

Will the Tánaiste give a commitment to ring-fence funding for students? It is bad enough that they are saddled with a huge national debt and will leave school at a time when unemployment is at crisis levels. While I accept that budgets are tight, surely the happiness and well-being of our young people depends on the Government taking action rather than paying lip service to this issue?

In light of concerns expressed last year, the Department of Education and Skills requested that the National Council for Guidance Education, NCGE, carry out a review of schools' provision for guidance. The NCGE surveyed schools in March 2012 before the budget measure was introduced and the following October after its introduction. While its final report will be published in the coming months, initial findings were presented to the Department in preparation for the conference to which the Deputy referred. These findings suggest that schools continue to prioritise guidance programmes. The report also states there has been increased group work and class based activity at senior cycle, which is in keeping with best practice in guidance. Such best practice suggests that one-to-one guidance counselling is best conducted after such group work.

While there have been some reductions in the number of guidance hours available to schools, they are certainly not of the order claimed by some. Schools continue to provide and prioritise guidance. In terms of hours, the National Council for Guidance Education survey suggests there has been a reduction of approximately 25% in allocated hours for guidance. The reduction depends largely on school size and is as follows. In second level schools with fewer than 400 students, the reduction is, on average, four hours per week. These schools would typically have had a part-time guidance counsellor under the old allocation system. In second level schools with between 400 and 700 students, the reduction is, on average, five hours per week. These schools would typically have had one full-time guidance counsellor under the old allocation system. In large schools with more than 700 students, the reduction is, on average, 11.5 hours per week. These schools would typically have had more than one guidance counsellor under the old allocation system.

With respect, the Tánaiste misses my point. At issue is the provision of one-to-one counselling, not group counselling. For example, when a student presents who is gay or experiencing a problem of a personal nature at home, he or she does not want to discuss the matter in group counselling and will require one-to-one counselling. What is the point of supplying schools with documents on health initiatives, bullying programmes and so forth if sufficient resources are not available to implement them?

My facts and figures are always correct and I speak to people who work on the coalface dealing with the problem. I have spoken to seven or eight school principals in Dublin and Waterford who believe the position has reached a critical point. Students presenting with serious problems are increasingly unable to discuss them with someone. In some other European countries, a social worker is employed in every school specifically to deal with problems associated with teenagers growing up. As a consequence, teenage depression, mental health issues and, ultimately, the problem of young people deciding to leave this planet by taking their lives, have been comprehensively addressed.

While I do not wish to criticise the Tánaiste, it is of little use paying lip-service to this problem. I urge the Tánaiste to speak to school principals and parents because they will tell him that counselling in schools is in crisis. They need one-to-one counselling as opposed to group counselling.

Admirable work is done in schools. Work is done all the time at one-to-one level between individual teachers and students in cases where a teacher is either told of a particular problem or senses there is a problem and decides to act. The work done by school principals and guidance counsellors is far-reaching.

This is an issue to which the Minister for Education and Skills has given particular emphasis. He recently published guidelines on cyberbullying and a strategy and policy on well-being in schools which addresses the very issues Deputy Halligan raises.

As part of the reform of the junior certificate cycle, the issue of well being in schools is being integrated into it. This issue cannot be set aside or treated as a separate segment of school activity. It is a part of the overall work that is done in schools by teachers and principals working with pupils. A revised policy framework has been put in place by the Minister for Education and Skills.