Mary Lou McDonald
Question:490. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding that is available from his Department to fund sports activities for young persons in disadvantaged areas. [49630/14]
View answerWednesday, 14 January 2015
Questions (490)
Written answers
My 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 schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme under which funding is made available on an annual basis to 31 national and major regional youth organisations. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drugs Task Force Projects and certain other programmes including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 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.
Typically, projects in disadvantaged areas focus on young people at risk of substance misuse, homelessness, anti-social behaviour, early school leaving and youth unemployment. Local projects provide a wide range of programmes and services for young people including drugs education, personal development programmes, outreach and summer programmes, creative/arts, recreational activities and sports activities. Funding is provided to Dublin City Council under the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund for a number of sporting activities. These include Sports Development Officers (€481,107 in 2014) and St. Catherine Community Sports Centre (€276,110 in 2014). Funding is also provided to national sports organisations including Munster Rugby (443,737 in 2014), Limerick GAA (€43,737 in 2014) and the FAI (€336,146 in 2014) under the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund for specific sports activities for young people at risk of disadvantage.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that Budget 2015 has confirmed that funding of €49.93m will again be provided to my Department in 2015 to support the provision of youth services. There will be no reduction in the overall allocation for youth services in 2015 which was a key priority for youth organisations. My Department has commenced work on the detailed allocations for youth services and projects in 2015. Every effort will be made to notify youth organisations and projects of their 2015 allocations in respect of their youth services as soon as possible.