Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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39. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will give an assurance that no further cuts will be imposed on youth services in receipt of State funding in Budget 2014; if she anticipates the commencement of a year-on-year restoration of previous supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38765/13]

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 programmes including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, Youth Information Centres, the European Youth in Action Programme (administered by Léargas – the Exchange Bureau) and Gaisce – the President’s Award. In 2013 €53.498m (including €1.75m capital) has been made available for these schemes and services for young people.

My Department, along with all Government departments, has been required to achieve significant savings on schemes and services in line with the reductions set out in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE). The savings required under the CRE in 2013 amounted to €5.393m which equated to almost a 10% reduction on the 2012 funding available for the provision of youth services. My Department will try to ensure that in the determination process for the 2014 allocations, the front line youth services, particularly those for the most vulnerable young people, will be protected as far as is possible from the impact of any necessary reductions in funding.

My Department has tried to be as equitable as possible in achieving savings. In considering how best to manage within the reduced budgets available, organisations are being asked to consider the scope for reducing administration costs and overheads, if this is at all possible, in order to maintain the front line youth services for young people. In order to ensure that the maximum use is made of the available resources, my Department has afforded flexibility to youth services/grant administering agencies to reconfigure the funding allocations made by my Department on the basis of their knowledge of the local needs in their area subject always to the approval of the Department. It is the intention of my Department to continue to facilitate this flexibility going forward to 2014.

There is no doubt that the current budgetary situation is challenging for many organisations. Officials of my Department have met with representatives of all the national organisations that are funded under the Youth Service Grant Scheme to share information and to hear from the organisations about the impact of the reductions in funding on the services that they provide. I have met with , and continue to meet with, many youth projects and organisations from around the country to try and see how we can work together to minimise the impact of these necessary savings in order to ensure that the provision of quality youth services to young people is sustained in these challenging times.