Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State was handed a speech and had to read it out, but it was just a litany of back-patting for the Department as opposed to an exercise in engaging with the reality of what it is to run youth services. The things listed as being provided for are what we should be doing at the very least. An exceptional report was put forward by the committee. It referred to how crucial and lifesaving youth work is, yet, we are not funding it enough. We have pensions auto enrolment and sick leave deficits. The allocation for youth work has not increased with the costs incurred by employers, who, by definition, employ people. The Department is renowned for being tone deaf to the reality faced by service providers. It states that it is going to do this, it is providing funding, everything is great, it is great and it is really good at looking at what is involved. The reality on the ground is not being dealt with. It is not being fought for properly but it needs to be.