Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

That is all right. I know the feeling well.

I second the amendment to the Order of Business by Senator Stephenson.

I request that the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, provide a breakdown of the €8 million allocated for youth work in the budget. As a former youth worker who worked for many years in the youth sector, I know first-hand how youth work changes lives. It has to be recognised that there is an €8 million increase on last year's budget, but it is only 13% of the increase the youth services being delivered across the country need to be sustainable. I would like to ask the Minister how this investment allows for the sustainability and expansion of youth services. They need €17.2 million to protect existing services. They want to expand services and get more young people involved. We know all the benefits of that, from friendships to developing confidence and social skills.

The National Youth Council of Ireland, NYCI, has been looking for an extra €2.1 million and for an extra €2 million for existing capital infrastructure to upgrade facilities. It is unfortunate that, for youth services and other services on the ground, capital expenditure is very scarce and they are often just about making ends meet in the delivery of capital infrastructure. How will the increase in the budget support this? Under Project Ireland 2040, €7.55 billion will be invested in education. How much of that will be allocated to youth services? Can the Minister provide information on the uplift that youth organisations, both universal and targeted, can be expected to receive as a result of budget 2026?