Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2024
310. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide details as to the reason the Government failed to include capital provision in the budget for the youth organisations in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7186/24]
View answerFrom 2020 to Budget 2024, Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes increased from €61.8 million to €77.95 million, a 26% increase overall.
The annual capital budget available to support youth services in 2023 was €2.7m. This funding supported small grants which enabled the purchase of essential equipment and the completion of minor works. This year, my Department has prioritised the direct delivery of services and programmes for young people and has secured an increase of €5 million, or 6.8%, on the 2023 budget for current expenditure. This includes dedicated funding for the support of new universal services and €1 million for the Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative.
My Department will shortly begin to carry out a mapping exercise of youth services sector, which will map out the premises currently used for youth services and help to identify gaps and shortfalls in the availability of spaces for youth services. This analysis is necessary to enable the Department to determine how best to direct capital funding over the period ahead.
