Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The last time I looked at youth spending, it was pretty static. It can be a useful way of spending resources, in terms of being proactive rather than reactive. Diversionary programmes can be included in that. It appeared to be very patchy around the country, where new services were not developed. Does Tusla have a capacity review of youth services or is it looking at what the needs for youth services are around the country? These services can be a very good use of funding. We get a lot from them for very little. Spending on youth services was very static and there appeared to be a postcode lottery. Without additional funding coming in, it did not look as though there was any prospect of new services being provided where there have been demographic shifts.