Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 April 2013
219. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reasons a club (details supplied) in County Galway suffered a 10% cut in funding from her Department; if her attention has been drawn to the potential impacts of this funding cut on young people and youth projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17750/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Youth Affairs Unit of my Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. Funding of some €53.173m is available in 2013 to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2 and Local Drugs Task Force Projects. These funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 400,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 paid staff and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country.
The Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE) published in December 2011, required savings of €5.393, in the main, from staff-led Youth Scheme/Programmes in 2013. Having regard to the savings requirements identified in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, my Department has tried to be as equitable as possible in achieving the required savings and the focus in the distribution of funding has been on the need to protect front line youth services, in particular for the most vulnerable young people. In considering how best to manage within the reduced budgets available, organisations are being asked to consider the scope for reducing administration costs and overheads in order to maintain the front line youth services. I have met with many youth organisations and groups to try and see how we can work together to minimise the impact of these necessary savings and to ensure that the provision of quality youth services to young people is sustained in these challenging times.
My Department is developing a new youth policy framework for publication later this year. The new youth policy framework will aim to enhance the provision of youth services and activities and it will, inter alia, promote co-ordination between government departments and youth sector organisations with a view to maximising the effectiveness of the State funding available to support services for young people in future years.
