Vol. 457 No. 8
31 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Education the outcome of her Department's consideration of the survey published by the National Youth Council of Ireland in relation to the provision of resources for the country's youth organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16425/95]
This survey carried out by the National Youth Council of Ireland presents data relating to membership of youth organisations, numbers of young people in receipt of services from voluntary youth organisations, numbers and qualifications of voluntary youth leaders, and details pertaining to staffing levels and qualifications of staff within youth organisations. The request does not contain any policy recommendations; it is essentially a statistical analysis. The survey will provide useful data for my Department in assessing the needs of the youth service.
The question of resources and staffing for youth services as a whole is kept constantly under review in my Department particularly in the context of the annual estimates. Funding for the youth service has increased from £9.9 million in 1988 to just over £12.6 million in 1995.
