John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of youth projects established under the single targeted youth funding programme to date; the details of each project; the location of each; the funding each project has received to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45939/18]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the several sample projects that were established in 2016 and 2017 in relation to the future development of a single targeted youth funding programme to replace the current schemes; the number of these projects which are now fully operational; the number of new sample projects that have been established to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45938/18]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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For some time the Minister and her Department have engaged in establishing a single targeted youth funding programme. A number of individual projects have been set up. Will the Minister give details of those projects and the future timeline for the roll out of the entire programme?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 24 together.

A key recommendation of the Value for Money and Policy Review of Youth Funding Programmes was that we should amalgamate four existing funding schemes into a single targeted youth funding scheme. To provide continued funding to the youth sector during this process, sample projects were established across the State. There are now 23 such sample projects approved since 2016, of which 20 are operational and a further three are to commence by 1 January next. Of the 23 projects, seven have involved the augmentation of existing projects to respond to identified needs. The three new projects approved are in Skerries, Carrigaline and County Longford. My reply includes a set of tables with details of the 23 sample projects, by year of first approval and by amount of funding provided in 2018 to date.

In determining the sample projects for funding, my Department has worked closely with the 16 education and training boards, all of which were invited to nominate locations within their catchment areas for new and augmented projects.End of Take

The 23 sample projects fall within ten of the education and training board, ETB, areas. The remaining six ETBs are involved in a process to identify the local needs of young people in these areas with a view to submitting applications for new or augmented services in 2019.

I am committed to supporting and reforming our youth services and I believe that the reformed system will bring substantial benefits to our young people.

New Sample Projects approved 2016

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. I do not have the detail of the chart yet, but I thank her for the information.

My initial concern is that this targeted programme comes about as a result of a value for money programme that was done in 2014, we are now in 2018, and 20 projects have been rolled out. The immediate concern is the roll-out of the programme in full.

The secondary concern is around the identification of the projects to be funded and, in particular, looking at the programmes that they are replacing, specifically the young people's facilities and services fund and local drug task force projects, many of these projects were aimed specifically at some of the most problematic and disadvantaged communities in our area. That is why the clarity around the identification of projects and the future roll-out of the programme is very important. My concern is that our most needy and disadvantaged areas may not be receiving this funding and these supports.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I share the Deputy's concern and I am pleased he raised this matter. He noted that the process of changing the way funding happens has taken some time and I acknowledge that. The research was done, the recommendations came and the sample projects are in place to ensure that youth services do not lose out when we move to the final points of the single targeted funding stream. The Deputy has identified that as his concern. I understand there are some remaining areas. Six ETBs are involved in identifying, with the use of tools, where the sample projects should be. That is taking some time. Some of that is indicative of the need for my Department to work with them and support them to ensure that their ways of doing things effectively are at the standard required of these services. That is ongoing and my Department is working intensely with them.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. I want to put this in context and, while I talk about the Minister's funding, my concern is dealing with areas of greatest disadvantage and it goes across a number of Departments. When I join this up with other programmes, I have a concern that the most disadvantaged areas are not receiving the targeted support they did previously. I specifically talk about places where RAPID funding has become the community enhancement programme. When I look behind the detail of the programme, it is a much broader spread rather than targeted at the most disadvantaged.

Regional and local drugs and alcohol task forces have not seen any increase in funding since 2014, having been cut in the previous years. It is in that context that I raised the issue with the Minister and I will raise it with others. The single targeted youth funding programme must be sure that it is identifying and meaningfully supporting our most disadvantaged areas. I am concerned that this number of programmes is resulting in them not being as targeted now as they were previously. That is the source of my concern.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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We are in the process of change. As I said, I share the Deputy's concern and understand what he is speaking about from the perspective of having done that work professionally. I also know that the people who are providing the service, the organisations that Deputy Curran is speaking about, largely have been participating in a process with my Department to try to do this in the best possible way. I was with 200 such people in Croke Park this week. The aim is ultimately to ensure that those who need it the most are not lost or left behind, as well as finding more efficient ways of working, but not reaching those who need it most should not be sacrificed for efficiency. I accept what the Deputy is saying, but I am also saying to him that people who have worked in the field have been working very closely with my Department over this time to ensure that does not happen.