Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will reverse the proposed cuts to youth projects and services via the CDYSP in view of the importance of services to disadvantaged areas. [17521/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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In 2013, my Department will provide some €53.173 million to support the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. This funding will support youth work programmes and youth 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.

The comprehensive review of expenditure published in December 2011 sets out clearly the savings required from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in each of the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The CRE contains a detailed seven page chapter outlining savings required from youth work funding. The CRE requires a 10% saving in 2013, with a lesser saving in 2014. The review further provided that 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 throughout the country.

The Department has tried to be as equitable as possible. We discussed already the budgets for child care and early intervention. A huge part of the departmental budget goes on protecting those services and ensuring they continue as they are and that they develop. Funding provided by the Department to support youth projects in the Dublin city area is administered by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board.

In February the board submitted a proposal which was different to that outlined in the CRE. It suggested some reductions of up to 14%. In the majority of the projects the reductions were in the range of 2% to 5% but it stated some larger projects with bigger budgets should take a reduction of 14%.

When I examined those proposals and when my Department considered them, we stated that any proposals for funding cuts in excess of 10% - those up to 14% - would not be acceptable and that they should be reduced. We certainly did not want any project being cut by more than 10%. Revised proposals were submitted to my Department. That means that the cutbacks that were originally intended by the CDYSB of up to 14% have been reduced to 10%.

As I stated earlier here at a previous Question Time, we also are looking at funding overall and looking at a value-for-money review of youth funding generally.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Minister will be aware that these youth services were put into the most disadvantaged areas of the country. That has not gone away, it has got worse. In the question I asked the Minister to reverse the cuts. I have been at meetings in The Base in Ballyfermot, the Cherry Orchard Integrated Youth Service and Ballyfermot Youth Services, and this applies right across the board in all other areas. The youth services are being cut, from 60 youth services down to 45.

Further cuts, we are told, will have a drastic effect on the service that these projects can provide for our youth. Early intervention prevents possible police contact, dropouts from school, etc. Those involved in these projects say they cannot take any more. They are cut to the bone. The 10% cut is too much. The 6% cut is too much. They have been cut by nearly 30% in the past five years, by the previous Government and this Government. There has been no change in policy to ring-fence these services and that is what is needed.

At a community policing forum in Crumlin recently, the cuts in youth services was debated. The police stated they were having difficulty in linking in and getting the service they needed in the area, and there was general agreement from the superintendent and the forum itself that a letter be written to the Minister stating that there should be no more cuts in the youth services.

The Government states €1 billion has been saved from the promissory note. Why not use some of that funding to ring-fence these services that are crucial in the area? There are certain areas that should not be cut and this is one such area.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased that we have been able to keep 90% of the funding in those services.

I take the Deputy's point regarding the challenges faced by some of the services. Cherry Orchard, which she mentioned, gets €297,488 and it has been asked to make a 2% saving. The Base, with a budget of nearly €393,000, has been asked to make a 10% saving. I appreciate this is challenging but in terms of the ongoing delivery of services, the CDYSB, which has analysed the position and has spoken to the providers of these services, has assured me that it will re-examine the position if there is a question of front-line services being seriously affected. My Department is engaged in a discussion with a number of youth clubs and organisations where there was a question that a service might not continue and I am open to discussion on particular services. I am happy to ask the CDYSB to re-examine if there is a serious threat to front-line services.

There has been no cutback in Garda diversion programmes, for example. The Garda is telling Deputy Collins that in terms of liaison with youth services, it is having some difficulties. I would want to know about those. To reassure the Deputy, even in her own constituency, in many of the youth funded projects the savings have been of the order of, for the most part, 5% and 2%. As I stated, the larger youth services have been asked to take the 10% cut because they have larger budgets and it was hoped that they would be able to deal with it.

I would prefer not to be doing this. I look forward to having growth again so that we can support this valuable work. Even in instances where there is currently a question of a 10% cutback, the CDYSB can examine the precise implications and how the particular service is dealing with that funding requirement.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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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.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Deputy's support for this work. However, many of my ministerial colleagues have to take decisions about services they would prefer not to have to take. I am also in that position. That is the reality of the financial situation we face at present.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We were told that we saved €1 billion from the promissory note being pushed back. Why is that not being used?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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We are almost out of time.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As with other Departments I must ask services to reform and manage on less. I pay tribute to the work being done. CDYSB can engage in discussions with the organisations the Deputy has mentioned to examine the precise impact. It has assured me that it has had discussions and that the higher cutbacks are being demanded in those organisations that have received the biggest funding and which, it is hoped, will be able to manage those resources with least impact on front-line services.