Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 February 2014
210. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to continue funding the Foróige Big Brother, Big Sister programme beyond August 2014; the source of this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9773/14]
View answerMy Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 400,000 young people and involve approximately, 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2014, funding of €50.530m including €750,000 for a new capital funding programme has been provided to my Department for these schemes.
Foróige is in receipt of funding from my Department to support the provision of youth services throughout the country. In 2014, this funding, under the various youth services schemes and programmes will amount to some €7,054,419. The establishment and development of the Big Brother Big Sister programme by Foróige was funded by philanthropic sources. As this funding came to an end, Foróige sought alternative funding for the programme.
My Department, as with all Government departments is required to deliver significant savings on the major funding schemes that it administers, including the youth services funding schemes. In responding to requests for funding for the Big Brother Big Sister programme from Foróige, my Department has explained the very significant funding constraints applying to the youth services grants schemes. My Department has nevertheless sought to assist Foróige to maintain the Big Brother Big Sister programme. In 2011, Foróige following an internal review of the organisation's wide range of provision for young people, reprioritised its areas of youth provision. This reprioritisation, which was proposed to my Department, enabled Foróige to strengthen their Big Brother Big Sister programme, nationally.
Foróige decided to reallocate the funding provided by my Department from their youth information services to the Big Brother Big Sister programme. In late 2013 Foróige briefed my Department that it was continuing to pursue other funding sources but that, in the absence of confirmation of these, decisions were imminent on the curtailment of the programme. In this context, in November, 2013, an additional amount of €360,000 was provided by my Department, as an exceptional measure and on a 'once-off' basis, to assist in maintaining the programme at an appropriate level while Foróige continues, for a limited period, to seek alternative ongoing funding to replace the philanthropic funding which has ceased.
