Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is saying the budget she has is challenging, but the situation of the youth services is also challenging. They have advised they cannot deliver the services required with these cuts. It is as simple as that. It will cut into front-line services. At the end of 2011 Cherry Orchard Integrated Youth Service lost a staff member through voluntary redundancy. It has had a reduction of €30,000 in funding since 2012, a further 6% reduction in 2013 and even the 2% will impact on it. The base has advised it cannot take any more such hits. The youth services cannot take any more cuts. Why does the Government not have a policy of ring-fencing the money for these services? It is not good enough to say that the Department has a challenging situation. These organisations work in the community and claim they will not be able to deliver those services if there are any future cuts. They have been cut for five years and cannot take any more. That is what needs to be done.

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