Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Select Committee on Education and Youth
Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education and Youth (Revised)
2:00 am
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I will pick up on the point related to youth. We are here to deal with the Supplementary Estimates. I am right in saying there is not a supplementary ask in relation to youth. People who are watching at home may not be looking at the pie chart we are looking at, but it is quite obvious to me that youth, youth services and youth funding are the poor relation. There is €86 million being provided, and €8 million - €4 million and €4 million - on top of that. It is a fraction of a very large pie in education and youth, and of a far bigger pie in the Government spend and the budget we deal with.
Oíche na hÓige was a success. I attended Ratoath Foróige in Meath East and 5th Meath Kells Scouts are doing tremendous work. They have very clear asks and we did have a hearing before the committee as well. There are requests for capital funding and direct funding for these services. It is the type of wise spending on behalf of the Government that delivers many times over but it is difficult to capture it in terms of budgeting and economic outworks. I am just making that point.