Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The youth affairs unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. As part of this, my Department and I have actively supported the nationwide development of youth cafe facilities, given the considerable benefits they offer for young people to meet in safe drug and alcohol free spaces.

In 2012 I provided €500,000 in capital funding for eight youth projects around the country to support the development of youth cafés for young people. The projects selected are eight new youth cafés which had originally applied under the original youth café scheme in 2010. This latest round of funding builds on the €1.7 million previously provided, from which a total of 75 projects have received funding.

For 2013 I am providing a further €1.5 million in capital funding for youth cafés and youth projects. Criteria for these funding schemes are being developed and my Department will be announcing details in the near future. They are a great extra resource. I am further providing capital funding of €250,000 for play and recreational initiatives during 2013. In February 2012 I launched the first ever national local authority play and recreation network, which brings together the recreation officers from local authorities around the country. More local authorities are getting involved in the project and some excellent work is being done by the network. To date, it has taken initiatives to promote and expand national play day and national recreation week, introduced improved co-ordination between local authorities and training and information sharing to develop staff expertise. I met representatives of the network last week to discuss their future work programme. I urge Deputies to encourage their local authorities to take part in the network.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

I have been delighted to officially open many of the new youth cafés supported by my Department and hope the additional funding provided in 2012 and 2013 will allow for the opening of many more youth cafés in communities across the country.

The development of play and recreation policy is an equally important objective for my Department because of the positive social and developmental impact of play in the lives of children and young people and its significance in promoting active healthy lifestyles. National play and recreation policies are implemented by local authorities. Many have developed world class recreational facilities and integrated play plans benefiting thousands of children and their families. My Department's role is to encourage innovation and a joined-up approach to the development and use of the extensive range of facilities available throughout the country.

A record 25 local authorities participated in National Play Day on 4 July 2012. National Recreation Week 2012 took place at the end of October. In excess of €70,000 was provided by my Department for local authorities in 2012 to help with these initiatives.

See this speech in context