Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 December 2012
79. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason his Department and Irish Aid terminated the strategic partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland for the national Youth Development Education Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57184/12]
View answer80. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way his Department and Irish Aid plan to implement objective three in their Strategic Plan 2007-2015, promoting public engagement for development to engage in a strategic way with voluntary youth work and achieve the results outlined in their recently published Performance Measurement Framework when they have terminated the funding to the National Youth Council of Ireland Development Education Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57185/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 80 together.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through Irish Aid, has provided significant funding to the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) for the implementation of the National Youth Development Education Programme, a partnership between Irish Aid and the NYCI established in 2004 to promote a deeper understanding of global development issues among young people in Ireland.This funding has been provided under Irish Aid’s Development Education Strategy.Since 2004, Irish Aid has provided a total of €2.14 million in funding for the Programme.Funding for 2012 amounted to €180,000.
In 2011, Irish Aid carried out a major review of its Development Education Strategy, which recommended a refocusing of the Irish Aid partnership with the youth sector.As a result, earlier this year, an invitation was issued to four partners in key priority sectors for Irish Aid to submit a concept note for a multi-annual programme of activities. The NYCI, as Irish Aid’s key partner in the youth sector, was invited to submit a concept note for a programme of development education in the youth sector. The concept note was appraised against Irish Aid's standard programme appraisal criteria, but was found to lack clarity on what was to be achieved by the proposed multi-annual programme and on the NYCI’s core competency in this regard. This was communicated to the NYCI in writing and in a meeting with Irish Aid officials.
The youth sector remains a priority for Irish Aid’s development education activities, and Irish Aid is continuing to work with the youth and development education sectors over the coming year on how it can best support partners to deliver quality development education programmes with young people.
I expect that a call for proposals for the 2013 annual grants for development education will be published before the end of the year. It will be open to the NYCI to apply for funding under this call
