Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to increase funding for youth workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14822/16]

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The question seeks from the Minister information regarding her plans to increase funding for youth workers and to make a statement on that matter. By way of background, current expenditure by the Department on youth work services decreased by 31.7% between 2008 and 2015. There is an enormous strain on youth services at a time when the needs of young people are growing and in the context of the expected 13% increase in youth numbers by 2021.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am committed to the principle of fairness and would very much wish to allocate additional resources next year to the youth sector as the economy recovers. Any additional amount available will depend on the budgetary process in 2017. I will be closely involved in the decisions to be taken by Government in this regard.

My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector to young people. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff, including youth workers and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities.

Budget 2016 provided an additional €1.1 million in current youth funding to my Department, bringing the total allocation for the youth services in 2016 to €51 million. This additional funding was a 2.5% increase over 2015. It will be used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.

Next week, I expect to announce details of youth work projects that are to receive funding under the new €600,000 youth employment initiative. This initiative and other supports for vulnerable young people are priorities in my plans for the further development of youth work services in line with the programme for Government. It will target those young people aged 15 to 24 years who are most at risk of unemployment and who are not in education, employment or training. It will be provided to voluntary youth services to support the provision of innovative programmes for their young people to enhance their employability skills and competencies. All my decisions on funding for youth services will be informed by the National Youth Strategy 2015-2020.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the 2% increase in funding in 2016. However, it is not enough. I look forward to the announcement next week on the provision of extra resources and supports for 15 to 25 year olds.

I draw the Minister's attention to the Indecon report of 2012 which estimated that for every €1 invested in youth work, the economic benefit to the State is €2.02. This helps to promote active citizenship and supports participation by young people in education and training. This investment also reduces long-term costs to the State in respect of health, justice and welfare services for young people, which is vitally important.

In County Kildare there are 77,832 people under 25 years of age, which is the highest youth population in the country. Kildare also has the highest birth rate in the country, yet it is the county in which investment in young people is the lowest. Does the Minister plan to increase funding for the various agencies and stakeholders that collaborate well together in terms of our vulnerable youth despite huge gaps in resources and funding?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am a long-time advocate of cost-benefit analysis, particularly in the area of services to children and young people. I agree with the Deputy that early investment pays off in the long run. It is one of the best ways to try to bring about change in this area.

I would welcome the Deputy's input, and that of her colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, who is the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on children and youth affairs, in building a case for the areas of youth services that would benefit most in terms of the choices that have to made up to 2017.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. Deputy Rabbitte and I are happy to work closely with her on this issue. I referred earlier to the excellent collaborative work, in particular by Newbridge Resource Centre and Teach Dara. Kildare has only three resource centres while Kerry has 13. It is clear that the money does not necessarily follow the demographic profile of a county. Kildare urgently needs investment in youth workers to help support the 40,000 volunteers about whom the Minister spoke. For example, yesterday we heard in a presentation from MOJO that it urgently requires resources and funding for those between 18 and 25 years, especially young men. While I welcome the Minister's commitment to collaboration and look forward to her announcements next week, will she commit to increased supports for existing organisations that need it?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I hope to. In fairness, that is the most I can say at this stage. On the Deputy's many points about Kildare, I recently travelled to Kerry to see some of the good work going on there. I would be delighted to go to Kildare.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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We look forward to it.