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Departmental Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 June 2012

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Ceisteanna (199)

Derek Keating

Ceist:

201 Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of associations, organisations and regulatory bodies in receipt of grants, benefit in kind and sums of money from the State in tabular form for the past three years; if he is satisfied that the State should be financing such organisations; if he will undertake to examine the savings that can be made in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28911/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

My Department was established on the 2nd June, 2011. The Deputy will be aware that a gross funding allocation of €427 million has been made available to my Department under Vote 40 to support a range of programmes and services in respect of children and youth affairs. Details of the allocation are included in the Revised Estimates of the Public Service 2012 which was published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in February 2012.

The Vote contains resource allocations for the following expenditure programmes:

Programme Expenditure

2012 Estimate

A.

Children and Family Support Programme

€86,359,000

B.

Sectoral Programmes for Children and Young People

€319,927,000

C.

Policy and Legislation Programme

€20,694,000

Programme A includes allocations of: (i) €26.465 million for the Family Support Agency, including funding to support 107 Family Resource Centres and some 600 voluntary and community organisations providing marriage, relationship, child and bereavement counselling services are funded each year; (ii) €9.622 million for the National Education Welfare Board which administers the Education Welfare Service and also oversees the School Completion Programme which has additional funding of €28.256 million to support the retention of children and young people in education; and (iii) €17.195 million in both capital and current funding to support the Children's Detention Centre, Oberstown. Programme B includes allocations of: (i) €175.800 million for the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Some 4,300 pre-school services (95%) are participating in the scheme; (ii) €80.998 million in both capital and current funding for the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and Childcare Education and Training (CETS) Programmes. Almost 1,000 community services participate in the CCS. The CCS and CETS programmes currently support some 30,000 disadvantaged and low income parents with their childcare costs; and (iii) €58.306 million in both capital and current funding to support the delivery of a range of youth programmes and services by the voluntary youth work sector, including programmes and services in disadvantaged communities. These current funding programmes include the following:

the Young People's Facilities and Services Funds,

21 Local Drugs Task Force projects,

the Youth Service Grant Scheme (31 organisations),

the Special Projects for Youth Scheme (182 projects),

the local Youth Club Grant Scheme (some 1,600 clubs supported),

Youth Information Centres (32 centres),

the European Youth in Action Programme (administered by Léargas — The Exchange Bureau),

Gaisce — the President's Award, and

a number of other smaller grants to youth groups.

(iv) €1.6 million towards the Early Intervention Programme which is co-funded by my Department and Atlantic Philanthropies to examine innovative and integrated ways to improve outcomes for children.

Programme C includes allocations of: (i) €6.570 million towards the National Longitudinal Study of Children in Ireland and a range of programmes linked to the National Children's Strategy; (ii) €500,000 to support community groups and organisations under the National Lottery Funding Scheme; and (iii) €5.412 million to support the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children.

My Department recently carried out a Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) and the outcome of this CRE will be used to inform future funding in order to ensure the benefits to children, young people and families are maximised.

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