Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will agree to an early meeting with a cross-party group of TDs which recently met with CDYSB funded projects which will suffer significant funding cuts, in order to discuss the implications of these cuts for young persons in the Dublin city area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17384/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As previously advised to the Deputy in a response Question No. 157, also for answer today, the savings required under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure in respect of 2013 amounted to €5.393m, which equated to almost a 10% reduction on 2012 funding available for the provision of youth services. Having regard to the savings requirements identified in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure my Department has tried to ensure that, in the determination process for the allocations, the front line youth services, particularly those for the most vulnerable young people are protected as far as is possible from the impact of any necessary reductions in funding.

Funding provided by my Department to support youth projects in the Dublin City area is administered, on behalf of my Department, by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB). As the administering body for the funding, CDYSB may make proposals to my Department for the reconfiguration of the funding allocations based on their local knowledge and expertise. This facility is open to all such bodies administering funding for the provision of youth services on behalf of my Department. Such proposals were received from CDYSB this year following notification of the allocations by my Department and, where the proposals recommended that funding cuts in excess of the 10% reduction be applied, my Department directed that, with a small number of exceptions, no project in the Dublin City area would be reduced by more than the 10% required by the CRE.

The City of Dublin Youth Service Board was notified of this decision and revised proposals in this regard were submitted by CDYSB and approved by my Department.

I have met, and will continue to meet, with many youth organisations and groups to try and see how we can work together to minimise the impact of these necessary savings. Meetings have also taken place between my Department and the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) to try and see how we can work together to ensure the most effective and efficient use of the resources available in order to continue to support the provision of quality youth services to young people.