Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will consider reversing the recent cuts to City of Dublin Youth Services Board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22121/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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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.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Minister for her reply but it is disappointing. I find many of the cuts that are being imposed as part of the Minister’s austerity regime cruelly unjust and senseless. There are few cuts, however, that could be more unjust and senseless than the cutting of funding to youth community services for some of the most vulnerable young people. The reason I have raised this issue is because those young people affected from Ballymun, Ballyfermot, Dublin’s north-west inner city, Finglas, Coolock and Darndale were protesting outside the Dáil last week. They put it simply that if these cuts go ahead, in many cases they will be forced out on to the streets with nothing to do. It will lead to more confrontation with the police, more temptation to get involved in drugs, drinking and, ultimately, it will cost them, in terms of their lives, and the State to pick up the pieces afterwards. These cuts are utterly counterproductive.

It is particularly regressive when one considers Ireland has more young people at risk than any other EU member state. Up to 37% of our young people are at risk as against the European average of 27%. These cuts will disproportionately hit young people who are in no way responsible for the crimes that lead to the economic and financial crisis. I am appealing to the Minister on their behalf to reverse these cuts and find the moneys elsewhere. These cuts make no sense and are cruelly unjust. There can be no justification or time to soften up the real impact of these cuts.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the value of youth work and am very pleased we have been able to maintain 95% of funding that youth services receive. It is important Deputy Boyd Barred does not exaggerate what is happening. The majority of front-line youth work services have been protected and will continue to be available to young people. The Deputy referred to various areas in Dublin. For example, the Cherry Orchard youth service, which received €297,488 in funding, has been asked to make a 2% saving. St. Michael’s youth project in Inchicore, which received €290,000, has also been asked to make a 2% saving.

In a scenario where we are borrowing €1 billion per month, my Department is not exempt from having to make some savings. When the Dublin youth services board examined expenditure in this area, it insisted that front-line services would not be affected. I would prefer if the economic situation were different and I certainly look forward to the time we can invest even more in youth services. I view them as early intervention for the most vulnerable young people in our society. I also recognise the importance of the Garda youth diversion project which does excellent work with some of the young people the Deputy spoke about.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Minister referred to projects which took small cuts, a point acknowledged by some of those on the protest, but others have taken 10% cuts. Some were initially looking at a 14% cut to funding. All the organisations involved said that any cuts against a background where we have a disproportionate number of young people at risk will have an enormous impact. No cuts are acceptable in a situation where more young people in this country are at risk than in any other European country and where more young people are being hit as a result of the impact of the recession. These young people must be protected. Whatever else the Government may think it has to do to pay off the debts of bankers, these cuts are cruelly unjust and will have a disproportionate effect, as well as costing the State more in the long term. The Youth Council of Ireland report suggested that for every €1 invested in youth services, the State will save €2.20. In other words, the Minister’s cuts will double the cost for the State. They do not even make sense from a book-balancing point of view. Whatever else the Government may think it should do, these cuts are regressive and should be reversed.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Every Minister has to make cuts in their Department and every Minister will have argued, exactly as the Deputy has, on the value of what they are doing in their Department. I will certainly argue that we should have increased resources going into early intervention. As I have explained before about protecting the funding for early intervention, I had to seek an extra €10 million to maintain the universal free preschool scheme. For every euro invested in that area, there is a saving of between €7 and €8 for the State. The majority of funding in my Department is going into early intervention.

I take the Deputy's point about the value of youth work. The study done by the National Youth Council of Ireland, NYCI, was very useful. The majority of the work being done by the youth services has been protected in very difficult times. I realise the efforts the youth workers are making to maintain the service and to continue to work with young people. I accept these are difficult times for them, and I will do everything to protect the funding. Next year, I will be looking to continue to support youth work as much as possible in the tough economic situation we face where we are borrowing €1 billion a month. That is the reality.