The centre in question is an alternative education setting and caters for young people who have encountered difficulties in mainstream education. It receives cooperation hours and non-pay funding from my Department.
The centre benefits from an allocation of 6,000 co-operation hours funded by my Department and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science. This provides a considerable staffing allocation to the centre.
In addition in 2021 my Department increased the non-pay funding allocation to the centre by €100,000 which brings the annual non-pay funding from my Department to €177,500.
The correspondence referred to by the Deputy has not put either the cooperation hours or the non-pay funding provided by my Department in jeopardy. The centre will continue to be supported by my Department.