Written answers

Tuesday, 24 October 2006

Department of Education and Science

Youth Services

9:00 pm

Photo of Ivor CallelyIvor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 171: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the additional moneys that were made available in 2006 to promote and sustain young people's participation in youth work; the basis of her consideration for a special allocation in 2007 for this sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33065/06]

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The 2006 financial provision for my Department's Youth Affairs Section is €45.037m. This represents a 9.8% increase over the 2005 allocation. In addition, I am also proposing to make a further €2m from the Dormant Accounts Fund available to local youth clubs and groups on a one-off basis for small scale equipment grants over the coming months.

My focus of financial allocations in 2006 is on the consolidation of current provision, a priority identified by the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) in submissions to my Department. This includes a 5% increase (over the 2005 baseline) in funding in 2006 for the three main funding schemes i.e. Youth Service Grant Scheme, Special Projects for Youth and Youth Information Centres. Some €8.176m has been provided to the youth work sector by my Department under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund which seeks to address the needs of young people who are at risk of substance misuse. This represents an increase of €1.091m over 2005 and includes funding for a further 24 projects which have been mainstreamed to my Department in 2006. In addition, a further eight Special Projects for Youth (SPY) were expanded from one-worker to two-worker projects and two new SPY projects were sanctioned in 2006.

In addition, funding of over €926,000 has been allocated to the VEC sector in 2006 to allow VECs to carry out their functions under the Youth Work Act, 2001. Also, a Development Fund for Youth Work Organisations of €300,000 has been set up again this year to assist those organisations in meeting requirements arising from the Act.

Increased financial resources have been allocated this year to other youth work initiatives and programmes including Léargas — the Exchange Bureau, Gaisce — the President's Award and Child Protection programme for the youth work sector.

With regard to 2007, my Department intends to continue the focus on the consolidation of existing provision and on the further roll out of the various elements of the Youth Work Act, 2001 and of the National Youth Work Development Plan as resources permit. This will include ongoing work on the establishment of a Youth Work Development Unit in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth and the further development of the Child Protection Training Programme for the youth work sector.

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