Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I was very pleased this year to receive an extra €1 million for the youth service. Across the whole of Government we have had to examine budgets very carefully. In fact, I have been able to reduce the pressures on the youth service by ensuring that instead of a 10% or a 7% cut that across the board for national organisations and local youth organisations there is a 3.75% reduction. Given the national circumstances in which we find ourselves economically, obviously I would prefer not to have to ask the youth services to take a 3.75% cut. I would point out that a huge amount of my budget, effectively, goes on fixed expenses in respect of child care. Some €50 million is still being given to youth services across the country. That is a very substantial amount of funding that is being given to national and local youth services and no local youth service took a cut. The ETBs were informed before Christmas of the allocation for the youth services.