Vol. 576 No. 1
197 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if an extra ?4 million will be allocated to youth works funding in the budget in view of the fact that the ?1 million extra in the Estimates will not be sufficient to meet wage increases due under Sustaining Progress and benchmarking or to implement the national youth work development plan and the Youth Work Act 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29097/03]
The funding for my Department's youth affairs section for 2003 is €27.123 million and is a 5.5% increase on 2002 funding. Provision for the youth work sector increased by almost 60% from 1997 to 2003. The amount available for 2004 is €28.124 million and represents a 4% increase in 2003 funding.
I intend for the National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007 to be implemented on a phased and prioritised basis as resources permit, following agreement on financial provisions with the Minister for Finance. The Youth Work Act 2001 provides a statutory basis for the development of youth work in Ireland. It was never intended that the Act would be fully implemented at once. Section 1 provides for sections to be commenced at different stages. To date sections 2 to 17, inclusive, 18 and 24 have been commenced. The implementation of further sections will depend on the availability of the necessary resources.
