Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the community run youth service for Cabra, Dublin, is being put at risk because her Department has not signed off on the funding allocation for 2013 and that independent auditors have advised the community board of management that they are unable to sign off on the youth service's accounts and budgets because her Department has not approved funding for 2013; when her Department will make a further decision on finding; the youth services in Dublin for which she has approved funding; the ones that are still pending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19470/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task Force Projects and certain other provisions including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. Funding of €53.173m has been provided to my Department for the provision of youth services in 2013.

My Department notified all grant administering agencies of the 2013 funding allocations on the 19 February last. However, in view of the reduction in funding in recent years due to the challenging fiscal situation, grant administering agencies/bodies, who administer the funding on behalf of my Department, were afforded the flexibility to make recommendations to reconfigure the allocations based on their local knowledge and expertise in relation to the projects in their respective areas. In the case of the Cabra for Youth Service the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) who are the grant administering agency for the Dublin City area made such recommendations to my Department. These recommendations were considered and approved by my Department on the 21 March. Letters in relation to the 2013 funding allocations have now issued to the projects in the Dublin City area.

Cabra for Youth is in receipt of funding under the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund (Rounds 1 and 2). Funding amounting to €213,364 has been allocated in 2013 and the organisation has been notified accordingly.