I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together.
My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country.
I am pleased to confirm that I have allocated an extra €5.5m in current funding to support the provision of youth services in 2017. This will bring the total youth funding by my Department to €57.4m. The additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.
This year, I approved a 5% increase in funding to each of the targeted youth services operating across the country.
With the exception of a small number of services staffed by Education and Training Board employees, staff employed in youth projects and services funded by my Department, are not public servants. City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) acts as my Department’s funding intermediary in the administration of targeted youth funding to youth services in Dublin City, including those in Cabra. I am advised that a number of youth workers, employed in projects administered by CDYSB, are on scales linked to public pay scales. It has been brought to my attention that Department of Education and Skills Circular Letter 0027/2017 may apply to these individuals.
In this regard, I am further advised that the costs associated with the implementation of this Circular is considerably less than the 5% increase in allocation that each of these services received this year.