Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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44. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason funding for an organisation (details supplied) in County Laois is lower than the national average. [50222/17]

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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I want to ask the Minister about funding for youth work at Laois youth work centre. The county has consistently received a very small slice of the cake in that regard. For example, in the current year it received €107,000 while Cavan received €333,000 - although I am not arguing for the Minister to take money off Cavan - and Wexford received €440,000.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Funding to staff-led youth services has generally been targeted at areas of disadvantage and not allocated in proportion to the youth population of a county. That has had an impact on Laois's funding relative to other counties.

Laois youth services received €86,803 in funding in 2017 under the special projects for youth scheme. Under the scheme, grant aid is made available in respect of out-of-school projects for disadvantaged young people. Priority is given to projects in the spheres of special youth work initiatives, young homeless people, young people at risk of substance abuse and young Travellers. In addition, funding has been provided to Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board under the local youth club grant scheme, youth capital funding scheme and the local youth club equipment scheme.

My Department also funds 31 national and major regional voluntary youth organisations. Foróige is funded through the scheme and provides a service to support 11 youth clubs in County Laois . Other clubs operating in County Laois that are affiliated to national organisations that receive funding from my Department include Macra na Feirme, Youth Work Ireland, the Irish Girl Guides, ECO-Unesco, the Order of Malta and Scouting Ireland.

In 2017 I allocated €57.4 million in current funding to support the provision of youth services. This was an increase of €5.5 million on the allocation for 2016. I have enhanced it by a further €1.5 million in 2018. I am committed to continuing to seek additional investment in youth services.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department is managing the most significant reform of youth services ever undertaken. Earlier this year I approved funding of €800,000 for the establishment of new youth projects and the augmentation of a small number of existing youth services to meet new challenges arising from population increases. Future development of and investment in youth services will be informed by the recently completed exercise which mapped youth service provision across the State.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. It is welcome that we have a Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. It is one of the more positive things that have happened in recent years. The Minister has mentioned that funding is allocated not necessarily in proportion to the size of the youth population but rather based on income and disadvantage. With respect, I point out to her in comparison to the other 25 counties County Laois has a low income figure per head of population. For a rural county we also have a huge concentration of foreign nationals. There are many children whose home language is not English or Irish and this creates a lot of difficulties. There is a high unemployment rate because the collapse of the construction industry hit County Laois severely. Very many people travel to work in Dublin in construction. There is a significant level of disadvantage in County Laois. Out of a population of 86,000, 11,500 people commute every day. Of the €57.4 million in current funding the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has allocated to support the provision of youth services, County Laois received just €86,000 which represents 0.15% of the total sum. According to the census, the youth population in the county is growing rapidly. Some 24.6% of the people living in the county are under 14 years of age and there has been a 26.3% increase in the youth population in the past ten years.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We need to hear from the Minister or we will not fit in everyone's questions.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am aware, not just from the Deputy's question but also from my work, of the significant level of disadvantage in County Laois. As the Deputy says, there has been a certain amount of investment, particularly in the special projects for youth scheme. I have talked about other investment in County Laois, but we are focusing, in particular, on the special projects for youth scheme. The mapping exercise carried out by Pobal which shows how the social demographics have changed in a given area potentially offers an opportunity for more investment. I think some officials in County Laois are in conversation and having meetings with my Department, looking at how to support the best approach to accessing and making applications for grants and willing to continue to support the officers concerned to ensure their grant applications will ultimately be successful.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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Some of the electoral divisions in County Laois, including places such as Mountrath and Mountmellick and parts of Portlaoise and other towns almost have the lowest income figures in the State per head of population. Twenty-eight grant applications were received for the €100,000 approved for the ETBs. The Department approved nine for targeted areas and the expansion of a further seven, but, as the Minister mentioned, County Laois was also unsuccessful in that regard. I am trying to point out to her that the local youth services, specifically Youth Work Laois, do tremendous work but that an awful lot of their time is spent in trying to access funding. I have been in and out of this issue, as have other public representatives. There is a huge stretch on the resources available to these services which are under huge pressure. I, therefode, ask the Minister and her officials to look again at this issue. Towards the end of the year public bodies, including Departments, sometimes have a little money left in the kitty. The Minister will start off next year with a new budget. I ask her to look at County Laois, in particular, to ensure there is a fair divvying up.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does the Minister have any money left in the kitty for County Laois?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Exactly.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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I ask her not to forget south Kildare also.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I will check. I understand the points made by the Deputy.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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I make them to the Minister genuinely.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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There has been a new mapping exercise and a profiling that gives us additional information, acknowledging the level of disadvantage in County Laois. The Deputy has pointed to the fact that applications have been made. I am trying to indicate the support of my Department to ensure successful applications can be made in the future. A general amount of money is made available and we then have to go through processes to identify the best way to use it and for the Department to be assured that that will be the case. It is my understanding that later this week my Department, with the Centre for Effective Services, will provide two-day training for staff in all ETB areas in area profiling, the prioritising of needs and, on that basis, the amount of money one should seek. The Centre for Effective Services will provide a training workshop in that regard. I think staff from the Laois-Offaly ETB will attend.