Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We had a good discussion about the funding of youth services earlier. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a specific funding stream for transport right now. I realise it is an issue. It is raised with me by those in the sector. We have a capital budget for youth services, amounting to €2.7 million, but the vast majority of these funds are for small grants to help services to maintain their buildings and youth clubs. As the Deputy knows, over the past two years we have been able to grow the overall youth services budget. An additional €5 million was made available in each of 2021 and 2022. I hope to do that again in this year's budget. It is primarily focused on current expenditure but youth services are very mobile and flexible in repurposing funding.

A transport scheme has to have multiple benefits. There is no point in having a bus vacant all day and used only for a youth club between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. We see this in the disability sector and with school transport. Work has to be done, particularly in rural areas, on using existing transport mechanisms more thoroughly and efficiently and to ensure they are being used all day. I am aware that the National Transport Authority is considering a project in this regard. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, is very committed to determining whether the transport vehicles of various State-funded NGOs and charitable organisations can be linked to Local Link to ensure they provide a benefit all day.

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