Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 September 2013
174. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she expects to remain in a position to favourably address requests for funding for youth support services throughout the country; if any particular deficiencies have been identified in this regards; her proposals to address any such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38983/13]
View answerFunding of €53.498m, including €1.75 for a new capital funding programme, has been provided to my Department in 2013 for the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes.
These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task Force projects and certain other provisions including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. This funding supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. There are some 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and over 40,000 volunteers involved in the provision of services and activities for young people.
The savings required under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in respect of 2013 amounted to €5.393m which equated to almost a 10% reduction on 2012 funding available for the provision of youth services. In 2014 the savings required in the youth budget under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure amount to €2.976m which entails a 5% cut across most schemes and programmes and a 10% cut on the Youth Service Grant Scheme under which the national youth organisations are funded. Funding of €1.035m under the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme has not been reduced for the past two years. Some 1,600 volunteer-led youth clubs and groups are funded under this scheme.
I have met, and will continue to meet, with many youth organisations and groups to try and see how we can work together to minimise the impact of the savings required under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and to see how we can work together to ensure the most effective and efficient use of the resources available in order to continue to support the provision of quality youth services to young people. Officials of my Department have also met with representatives of all the national organisations that are funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme to share information and to hear from the organisations about the impact of the reductions in funding on the services that they provide.
In addition, in order to maximise the use of the available resources, my Department has afforded flexibility to the organisations/grant administering agencies to reconfigure the funding allocations made by the Department based on their knowledge of local needs in their areas of responsibility, subject to the approval of my Department. It is intended to extend this facility into 2014 in order to ensure the continued provision of quality youth services to young people in these challenging times.
