I propose to take Questions Nos. 957 to 959, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy is aware, Budget 2019 has provided an additional €1.5 million in current funding to my Department to support the provision of youth services. This additional funding will be used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people. Following the Budget 2019 announcement, my Department will soon commence a process with national organisations and Education and Training Boards to identify service development needs for 2019 and to finalise the 2019 allocations. Every effort will be made to complete this process as soon as possible.
Future development and investment in youth services will be informed by area profiling and needs analysis surveys carried out by Education and Training Boards (ETB) which will develop a detailed social demographic profile in terms of both population numbers and deprivation levels. The Department is committed to working with ETBs to identify need and explore ways to address this need where it emerges.
Any youth project seeking an increase in funding should make a submission to their local ETB supported by a valid business case clearly outlining the requirement for increased funding and clearly demonstrating how the additional funding will enhance youth service provision. Any subsequent submission received from ETBs would be considered in the context of the overall budget available to the Department for youth service provision.