Shadow Youth Minister Darius Tucker yesterday called for Government to redirect cash to support facilities for young people.

The Department of Youth, Sports and Recreation has seen its budget cut by $1.7 million to $13.5 million this year, a fall of 11 percent, as reductions have been made in the light of the economic crisis.

Big losers include youth grants, which plummeted 44 percent from $500,000 last year to $279,000; and development scheme Camp Pequot, which receives $166,000 this year, down from $281,000 last year, a fall of 41 percent.

During yesterday afternoon's Budget debate in the House of Assembly, Youth Minister Glenn Blakeney had said programmes would not suffer from the cuts in youth grants. However, Mr. Tucker responded: "I'm sure that there's quite a few youth groups or organisations that will be affected by this massive 44 percent decrease.

"I find it very hard for you to take 44 percent from someone or something and say it's not going to have an effect. Young people: I'm attached to them. I really, really am, especially having a young son nine years old. It keeps me very busy.

"When we start talking about distributing fundings to our young people, 44 percent is a lot to swallow. If we can take some of the monies that we put in some of the programmes after someone has been affected by various things and put them into young people, we wouldn't have so many people on these programmes. I would hope they could look somewhere else, in another Ministry, and have some funds directed back into this Ministry."

Mr. Blakeney then took to his feet to say there would not be cuts of grants to areas in most need.

Mr. Tucker, whose presentation was described by committee chair Dame Jennifer Smith as "scintillating", also questioned reductions in money spent on training and on the sports hall of fame.

His fears over the hall of fame were placated by Mr. Blakeney, who said an induction ceremony would take place, albeit a scaled-down version.

Mr. Tucker also said that if Government can cut down on "some of the vandalisation", money could be freed up to be spent on areas that need improving.

Former Sports Minister, Randy Horton, said the Budget indicated how Government wanted to support young people in their development. He said he also wanted to "take his hat off" to all the people who worked with young people.

"There are thousands of people out there who are working for nothing in an effort to help young people's development," he said.

Mr. Horton said he was pleased that there will be a sports hall of fame, saying it was important to recognise the Island's outstanding athletes. "I would have been very upset if that was not going to happen," he said.

He said youth development cash had been cut by $350,000 but Government was spending $1.1 million on camping programmes and $1.3 million on after-school programmes.

However, Cole Simons, Shadow Minister for Energy and Environment, said he was disappointed that the Department had had its budget cut and said Government should be doing more to offer sports scholarships. He asked about funding athletes for forthcoming events such as the Caribbean Games and the Island Games.

And he asked what had happened to funding for the National Sports Centre. "There has been a promise of a swimming pool but there is no money for that or the core area of the Centre."