Vol. 491 No. 7
232 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review his decision not to increase the resources allocated to the youth service in 1998 in view of the commitments made by the voluntary youth sector to Partnership 2000 and the vital role it can play socially if it is adequately supported. [13292/98]
The overall level of resources made available for the provision of youth work services in 1998 is £13,567,000 representing an increase of 1.7 per cent over the provision for 1997. Unfortunately, due to the high level of ongoing commitments, it has not been possible to provide for increases in the level of grant aid made available to individual organisations and initiatives. However, I am aware that additional costs are likely to be incurred by voluntary youth organisations in meeting their commitments under Partnership 2000. In the circumstances, additional funding is being sought for youth service provision in 1998 with a view to providing assistance towards meeting the costs involved.
