Written answers

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

9:00 pm

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her role in ensuring there are adequate youth facilities throughout the country; if that includes carrying out an assessment of deficiencies; if she has or intends to open up dialogue with other Departments towards this aim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26013/11]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a range of funding schemes, programmes and supports to the youth sector. These include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund and certain other provisions including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, Youth Information Centres, European Youth in Action Programme (administered by Léargas – The Exchange Bureau) and Gaisce, the President's Award.

Funding of €60.954m is provided by my Department to support the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth work sector. Included within that sum is €0.8m for capital funding under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund.

The Young People's Facilities and Services Funding (YPFSF) was established in 1998 to assist in the development of preventative strategies/initiatives in a targeted manner through the development of youth facilities, (including sport and recreational facilities) and services in disadvantaged areas where a significant drug problem exists or has the potential to develop. Applications for funding under the YPFSF are made through the relevant Development Group which determines the suitability of proposals against priorities identified for the area and funding is allocated to relevant projects taking account of this advice amongst other criteria.

The Fund is now under the remit of my Department and currently operates in 22 areas - 14 Local Drug Task Force areas, (12 in Dublin, Bray and Cork) and in Galway, Limerick, Waterford and the towns of Carlow, Athlone, Arklow, Dundalk and Wexford.

Since it was established in 1998, the Government has allocated approximately €201m under the Young Peoples Facilities & Services Fund (YPFSF) to assist in the development of youth facilities (including sport and recreational facilities) and services in disadvantaged areas where a significant drug abuse problem exists or has the potential to develop. Approximately €69m has been provided for capital developments, which include the building, upgrading, fit-out and refurbishment of over 220 youth and community facilities in the different target areas.

My Department is assisted in its assessment of the need for facilities for young people under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund, by the National Assessment Committee which includes representatives of other Government Departments, community and voluntary representatives, a representative from Dublin City Council and from the City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB). The role of the NAC was to ensure that local plans and projects approved for funding addressed gaps in provision at local level.

In addition to funding provided through the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund, a national competitive youth café development scheme was initiated in 2010 with an allocation of approximately €1.6m from Dormant Accounts funds. Under the competitive scheme, which was operated for my Department by Pobal, a total of 48 existing youth cafés received funds to improve and augment existing facilities. These funds were paid out in early 2011. In a separate strand of the scheme development funding of up to €95,000 per location was awarded to a total of 16 new youth café projects. The latter will finance the opening of a completely new facility in each case and the 16 locations are spread throughout the country. The new facilities can be expected to come on stream gradually from late 2011 up to the end of 2012 depending on the scale of individual projects. Pobal will monitor progress on the delivery of each new facility and report back to my Department in due course. The scheme is an excellent example of a significant benefit being achieved for local communities from a relatively small amount of investment by the state.

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