Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 3 December 2021
51. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the strategies in place to help support young persons in dealing with bullying and harassment across all platforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59453/21]
View answerThe issue of bullying and harassment is the subject of attention from a range of areas and Government Departments. My colleagues the Minister for Education and Minister for Justice would, for instance, have a lead role in aspects relating to schools and criminal harassment respectively.
As regards funding provided to youth services through my Department, this supports a range of universal and targeted programmes for young people designed to meet the range of needs faced by young people as they progress to adulthood. In the targeted space, these programmes are informed by local area needs assessments carried out by our Governance partners in these programmes, the Education and Training Boards. The more universal funding provided aims to support all young people in contact with these youth organisations across a broad spectrum of areas and would include elements of leadership, civic responsibility and other activity designed to improve the individual and collective agency of young people. My Department's funding also supports a national youth information service and on-line / in person assistance for young people through organisations such as Spun Out. Funding has also been provided through the Dormant Account Funding process to support an on-line safety initiative through Foroige.
