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

In 2013, my Department will provide some €53.498 million to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people across the country, including those from disadvantaged communities. This funding will support youth work programmes and services serving some 400,000 young people, delivered by over 1,400 youth work personnel who in turn support a large volunteer base of some 40,000. In addition, €1.5 million is being provided in 2013 for youth cafes and youth projects. Details are available on my Department's website, www.dcya.gov.ie. This follows on from funding of €500,000 which was provided in 2012 for the development of a number of youth cafes which had applied for previous youth cafe funding schemes.

The comprehensive review of expenditure published in December 2011 sets out clearly the savings required from my Department in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014. The review contains a detailed seven page chapter outlining savings required from youth work funding. It requires a 10% saving in 2013, with a lesser saving in 2014. The review further provided there were no reductions in 2012 or 2013 in funding for the local youth club grant scheme which provides funding to volunteer-led youth clubs and groups. Having regard to these savings requirements, my Department has tried to be as equitable as possible in the determining process for the allocations and to have particular regard to the protection of front-line youth services, particularly those for the most vulnerable young people.

This year €11.486 million was allocated in respect of youth services and projects in the Dublin city area. Funding provided to support youth projects in the Dublin city area is administered on behalf of my Department by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board. The board submitted proposals to my Department to reconfigure the allocations based on its local knowledge and expertise of the youth projects in their area and, following its consideration, my Department modified the allocations to ensure, with a small number of exceptions, no project in the Dublin city area would be reduced by more than the 10% recommended in the comprehensive review of expenditure. As a result, for most of the youth services in Dublin, the reduction in funding in 2013 is of the order of 5% or less while for the larger organisations the reduction is 10%.

I have met, and will continue to meet, with many youth organisations and groups to see how we can work together to minimise the impact of the savings required under the comprehensive review of expenditure, as well as seeing how we can work together to ensure the most effective and efficient use of the resources available to continue to support the provision of quality youth services to young people. To support this process, my Department has commenced a comprehensive value for money review of youth funding which is expected to be completed later this year.

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