Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise, as I must leave shortly to be somewhere else.

It is welcome that the funding is being maintained at the current level, but I agree with Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. I work on the ground locally and know the benefits of working with young people, particularly children in poorer areas. Without some of the community organisations, the volunteers in particular, many children would slip into a wider space from which they would not be able to be taken out. I acknowledge that the Minister cannot make any commitment in respect of the 2015 budget, but I ask that allocations be increased in this sector because of the great work being done on the ground by many organisations but particularly the volunteers who are not paid and who volunteer week in, week out. Without them, many communities would not be able to survive.