Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am taking the debate on behalf of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, and I thank the Senator for raising it.

We are conscious of the considerable benefits that can accrue to young people from involvement in youth work, and the benefits for society as a whole. Youth projects and youth organisations present valuable opportunities for the social and personal development of young people. In 2013, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will provide some ¤53.2 million to support the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and youth services, delivered to some 400,000 young people by over 1,400 youth work personnel, who, in turn, support a large volunteer base of 40,000. The focus of this financial support in 2013, as in previous years, is on the consolidation of existing youth work provision and on the safeguarding in so far as possible of front-line programmes and services, including those provided to young people in disadvantaged communities.

The comprehensive review of expenditure, CRE, published in December 2011, set out the savings required from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014. The CRE contains a detailed seven-page chapter outlining savings required from youth work funding. The CRE clearly indicated a 10% saving requirement in 2013, with a lesser saving in 2014. Notwithstanding these savings, I understand that funding of ¤129,481 is being allocated to Youth Work Ireland projects in Tuam, Loughrea and east Galway in 2013 under the special projects for youth scheme with a further ¤49,001 being provided for the Youth Information Centre in Ballinasloe.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has been examining the scope for improving administrative arrangements for the financial management of the funding for projects to achieve greater efficiency and standardisation. This includes, from this year, affording grant-administering bodies the flexibility to manage and re­allocate funding across the various existing separate funding streams so as to better manage savings locally and to facilitate youth service providers to refocus provision to ensure it meets local needs.

In addition, the Department has sought to rationalise the number of grant-administering bodies. As part of this, the City of Dublin Youth Service Board, CDYSB, was appointed to carry out financial management tasks related to the administering of allocated funding for a number of projects whose funding has previously been administered directly by six national organisations, including Youth Work Ireland.

It should also be noted that under the comprehensive review of expenditure, there has been no cut to the funding being provided to support local voluntary youth clubs. This modest funding, in excess of ¤1 million, plays an important role in supporting volunteer-led youth groups and in promoting and leveraging valuable voluntary activity in youth work.

With respect to future funding provision, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has commenced a formal and comprehensive value for money review of youth funding and this is expected to report later this year. In addition, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, yesterday announced the opening of applications for a new ¤1 million youth cafe funding scheme. 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.