Vol. 574 No. 3
156 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the amount of money allocated in 2002 towards youth work by the youth affairs section of his Department; if this amount will be increased in 2004 to ensure the implementation of the national youth work development plan and the Youth Work Act 2001; and his views on whether an additional ?5 million is needed for the implementation of same. [26896/03]
The funding for the youth affairs section of my Department for 2003 is €27.123 million which is a 5.5% increase over 2002. Provision for the youth sector increased by almost 60% from 1997 to 2003 which demonstrates the Government's commitment to supporting the work of the youth sector.
The question of additional funding for the youth sector will be dealt with in the 2004 Estimates process. I might point out that by its nature, the Youth Work Act 2001 has to be implemented on an incremental basis. The national youth work development plan is intended to cover a five-year period and was published earlier this year on the basis of its phased implementation as financial resources permit.
