David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 500: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of applications for the position of assessor of youth work with reference to her response to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 27 and 31 of 15 December 2005, when she said that the post had been advertised on that date; the position regarding holding interviews for same; the roll and budget of the assessor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13199/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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As I advised Deputy Stanton in December 2005, the post of an assessor of youth work was advertised in the national press on 15 December 2005. Some 15 applications for the post were received by the Public Appointments Service. An interview process has taken place and the Public Appointments Service is currently finalising various details and procedures relating to the appointment.

The assessor of youth work will support the development of good youth work practice through the assessment, monitoring and review of youth work programmes and services provided by the voluntary youth work sector in Ireland. He or she will also be charged with ensuring that public funds are being used efficiently and effectively. The youth affairs section of my Department is currently deciding on the allocation of funding for various youth work activities, projects and programmes including costs attaching to the post of the assessor of youth work and its functions.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 501: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when she expects the review of youth work funding and the review of youth information provision respectively to be completed; when these reviews were begun; the person or persons carrying out these reviews; the terms of reference; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13200/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The review of funding of the youth work sector is being carried out by McIver Consulting and work commenced in January 2005. A number of issues are currently under discussion between my Department and the consultants with a view to finalising the report. The funding review steering group — that is, a sub-committee of the national youth work advisory committee — will then review the final document to ensure that the terms of reference have been adhered to and appropriately dealt with by the consultants. Following this, the report will be finalised as soon as possible. It is intended that following on this process, the national youth work advisory committee, which represents the various youth work interests, will consider the contents of the report in the first instance and that the report, together with the committee's views, will be presented to the Minister of State responsible for youth affairs for consideration in due course.

The review of youth information provision, which is being carried out by A & L Goodbody Consulting, commenced in June 2005. Discussions between my Department and the consultants are at an advanced stage. The youth information steering group, a sub-committee of the national youth work advisory committee, will then review the final document to ensure that the terms of reference have been appropriately dealt with by the consultants. Again, it is expected that following on this process, the national youth work advisory committee will consider the contents of the review in the first instance and that the report, together with the views of the national youth work advisory committee, will be presented to the Minister of State responsible for youth affairs for consideration in due course. The terms of reference for both reviews are included at Appendix A.

APPENDIX A

Terms of Reference — Review of Funding of the Youth Work Sector:

(i) To review funding across Government Departments and other agencies with a view to determining if financial allocations to youth work are realistic and reflect the real cost of the work, including capital and human costs;

(ii) To review the funding patterns of different types of provision, including youth organisations, community based youth projects, youth information centres and other specialist provision;

(iii) To identify appropriate staffing levels for the delivery of quality youth work and the resulting resource implications;

(iv) To examine the current use of pay scales within the sector, identify those most commonly used and make recommendations on staff remuneration with reference to analogous employments;

(v) To review the current funding schemes for youth work, identify the rationale for these schemes and the relationship between these and other schemes;

(vi) To examine the current application and reporting processes for youth work Grant-in-Aid schemes and report thereon;

(vii) To report on the issue of consistent, open, transparent and equitable criteria for the distribution of grant aid at national and area level, including core costs such as salaries, overheads, administration, travel etc.;

(viii) Identify the main issues, which inhibit the development of sustainable funding streams for the youth sector;

(ix) Examine the scope for improving the availability and sustainability of youth work funding;

(x) To provide the Department of Education and Science with a report on the issues raised in (i) to (ix) above.

Terms of Reference — Review of Youth Information Provision:

(i) To identify and articulate the role of the youth work sector in providing for the information needs of young people

(ii) To review current provision of youth information in Ireland

(iii) To examine the Standards for Youth Information Centres taking account of the current needs and trends

(iv) To establish actual costs for the provision of youth information

(v) To identify the supports required for youth information provision

(vi) To investigate best practice nationally and internationally

(vii) To make recommendations on the future development of youth information provision

(viii) To provide the Department of Education and Science with a printed and electronic report of outcomes (i) to (vii) above.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 502: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the location of the special projects for disadvantaged youth; the location of the 10 new such projects established in 2005; her plans to develop more such projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13201/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 177 projects for disadvantaged young people funded under the special projects for youth scheme administered by the youth affairs section of my Department, including ten new projects which were grant-aided in 2005. The 10 new projects are: Cobh youth services, Cork; Daybreak programme, Donegal; the Blue Box creative learning centre, Limerick; County Longford youth services, Longford; Kildare youth project, Kildare; Sliabh Luachra project, County Kerry; Shannon youth project, County Clare; Graiguecullen youth project, County Carlow; unaccompanied minors project — this project is now known as the transition support project — Dublin; and services to young Travellers, Tallaght, County Dublin.

A grant of €46,000 was made available towards the support of each of the ten projects in 2005, with full year costs of €92,000 per project approved for 2006. A complete list of all 177 projects located throughout the country is attached at Appendix A. In addition to the establishment of the ten new projects mentioned above, 20 single worker projects were upgraded to two worker projects in 2005.

The total budgetary provision for youth work purposes within my Department amounts to €47.035 million in 2006. The financial provision for the main funding line for youth work has been increased to €36.7 million in 2006, representing an increase of €2.8 million over the 2005 allocation. The further development of the special project scheme will be examined in the context of the overall allocations for the sector and the phased roll-out of various aspects of the Youth Work Act 2001 and National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007.