I propose to take Questions Nos. 266, 267 and 273 together.
My Department provides 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. I am committed to supporting this important sector, which has enormous value both to the many young people involved and from a broader social and economic viewpoint.
My Department maintains close contact with the national youth organisations funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme and I, and officials from my Department, meet formally with these organisations twice a year to share knowledge and information on developments in the youth sector (this schedule has been affected in 2020 by Covid-19).
In addition, my officials hold quarterly meetings attended by all Youth Officers from across the country. Youth Officers of the Education and Training Boards (ETB) provide an important support role to my Department in the co-ordination and administration of youth services at local level. These meetings assist my Department in identifying service needs and emerging issues, particularly for vulnerable young people. The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department has set up a working group with five Youth Officers focussed on strategic planning for future capital funding for the youth sector.
Officials from my Department also meet with youth organisations on an individual basis when the need arises.
In recent months, key representatives from the youth sector have met with my officials regularly to continuing to assist in developing and updating sector-specific guidance for youth organisations in relation to provision of services during the pandemic, in line with the Government's Resilience and Recovery Roadmap.
In recognition of the vital role played by these services in supporting young people at this time, funding has been maintained throughout this challenging period. The overall budget allocation for the youth sector in my Department for 2020 is €61.79 million in current funding, in addition to a further €3 million in capital funding. Furthermore, I recently secured an additional amount of €1m capital funding in 2020 to support ICT procurement in the youth sector before year end. This sum is in addition to the Covid-related small grant scheme for the sector announced earlier this year.
I have secured an additional €5 million in current funding for youth services nationally as part of Budget 2021. My officials are currently working on the apportionment of these funds in the context of the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume. As part of the Budget 2021 announcements, the youth sector has also been allocated a capital sum of €3m.
This additional funding allocated to youth services in the coming year will support the delivery of universal and targeted youth services nationwide with a particular view to the role played by youth services in supporting mental wellbeing, fostering resilience and developing the social and personal competencies of young people, including disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable young people.
In relation to particular requests for support from youth organisations, organisations have in 2020 submitted applications directly to the Department under the following various schemes:
- 252 applications for funding under the UBU Your Place, Your Space scheme
- 30 applications from National Youth Organisations under the Youth Services Grant Scheme
- 25 National Youth Organisations received capital funding based on applications for funding
- 14 youth organisations received funding under the Youth Climate Justice Fund, based on applications for funding
- Two other organisations which provide supports to young people , Léargas and Gaisce - the President's Award, also applied for and received direct funding from my Department.
In relation to the particular youth service specified by the Deputy, UBU funding for Kildare projects in 2020 amounts to €246,705; a further €246,703 was allocated for the Targeted Youth Funding Scheme (TYFS), and €50,759 was provided for Youth Information Centres in the county.
My Department provides funding to Kildare Youth Services under the UBU Scheme in respect of six local youth projects in Athy, Naas, Leixlip, Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare town and a Youth Information Centre in Naas.
Kildare & Wicklow ETB, which act on behalf of my Department in administering youth funding in that area, receives funding for Technical Assistance and Youth Work Functions (€190,000 in 2020). It administers the Local Youth Club Funding Scheme, the LBGTI+ funding scheme and the Covid 19 Small grants scheme (€158,500; €4,000 and €3,000 respectively in 2020). The Kildare & Wicklow ETB also administers the 2020 Capital funding scheme for the area which amounted to just over €20,000 in total.
A key tenet of the UBU scheme is the production of evidence of local need. In allocating funding under the scheme, each ETB carries out an Area Profile, Needs Assessment and Service requirement process. This process draws upon quantitative and qualitative information to objectively identify the needs of young people within the ETB’s functional area. This analysis leads to the development of a Service Requirement, which is then used as the basis for discussion between ETBs and service providers in terms of service delivery to meet the needs of young people in the area. This approach ensures that we can target supports to the young people most in need of intervention and that funding is allocated on the basis of evidenced need.
Kildare & Wicklow ETB is there to support the Youth Service in implementing the Service Requirement of the area and its Youth Officer meets regularly with the Youth Service to this end.
