Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the potential impact a reported cut of up to 15% in funding to City of Dublin Youth Service Board youth services would have on local communities around Dublin. [36770/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) has, for many years, been promoting, supporting and co-ordinating the development of voluntary youth clubs and youth services in Dublin City and I am aware of the valuable work carried out by CDYSB in the youth sector.

Funding of €60.954m is available from my Department in 2011 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. Youth work programmes and services are delivered to young participants in the various programmes by some 1,100 youth work staff and by a volunteer base of over 60,000.

In light of current budgetary constraints, the youth budget requires careful management with a focus on prioritising front-line services and protecting jobs in so far as is possible. Officials from my Department have met with representatives of the youth sector, including CDYSB, on an ongoing basis to ascertain the sector's views on how best to minimise the impact of budgetary constraints with a view to consolidating, in so far as is practicable, the progress made in previous years. Every effort will be made to notify the various youth work organisations and administering agencies of their 2012 allocations as speedily as possible. As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I am committed to the development of a new youth policy framework which my Department is currently progressing. Through this work a clear policy framework will emerge that will aim to enhance the development, participation and support of young people.

I intend that the policy framework will also facilitate and promote co-ordination and coherence across departments and services and will set out the priorities, rationale and criteria for future funding programmes. It will also accommodate issues relevant to young people within the 10-24 age range in informal or out-of-school settings that fall within the remit of my Department. The overall aim will be to clarify and enhance coherence, connectivity, coordination and delivery in youth services and related out-of-schools services for young people and to ensure such provision is both quality and outcomes based.