Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she conducted a child impact analysis on the cuts contained in the comprehensive review of public expenditure; if she discussed the impact of budget 2012 on children with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40376/11]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of any child proofing carried out by her of recent measure introduced in budget 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40324/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 40 together.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs was established on 2 June 2011. In 2011, the full year allocation for the programmes implemented by the Department, amounted to just over €417 million, of which €406.3 million was current funding. In 2012, the full gross year allocation for the Department under Budget 2012 will be just over €408 million, of which €400.1 million relates to current funding. This represents a 2% reduction in funding which is significantly less than reductions in some other areas of Government expenditure demonstrating the priority attached to programmes and services for children and young people.

As the Deputy will be aware, the review process conducted by individual Government Departments as part of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure was a central part of the overall pre-Budget deliberations of the Government. Officials of my Department have been engaged in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure since June of this year and have scrutinised every area of area of expenditure as part of this process. While there was no formal child impact analysis or child proofing study conducted as part of the Review within my Department it is important to point out that it provided the opportunity to critically examine all spending programmes under the operational remit of my Vote and inform the Department`s new structures and priorities, based on streamlined and effective use of limited resources.

I had detailed discussions on a number of occasions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and its impact on my Department and savings of some €16.5 million in current funding have been agreed for next year. However, this figure reduces to €4.5 million when account is taken of the fact that additional funding has also been provided to meet demographic pressures arising under the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and to protect the universality of that programme. The reform process will continue over 2012-2014 and the projected current funding allocations for my Department will be sustained at levels of €382 million in 2013 and €373 million in 2014. While the need to reduce expenditure will be challenging, I am satisfied that the reform of programmes and schemes identified under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure will be implemented in a way which generates efficiencies and improvements in outcomes, within the resources available.