Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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29. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the measures his Department is taking to financially support youth services in disadvantaged communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43971/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme under which funding is made available on an annual basis to 31 national and major regional youth organisations. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund, Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drugs Task Force Projects and certain other programmes including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately, 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2014, funding of €49.78m has been provided to my Department for these schemes. I am pleased to advise that Budget 2015 has confirmed that funding of €49.78m will again be provided to my Department in 2015 to support the provision of youth services. There will be no reduction in the overall allocation for youth services in 2015 which was a key priority for youth organisations. My Department has commenced work on the detailed 2015 allocations for local projects and services and every effort will be made to notify youth organisations and youth projects of their 2015 allocations as soon as possible.

In addition, I recently announced a capital funding scheme to provide grants towards the cost of refurbishments for youth projects, funded by my Department, in disadvantaged communities. This year, €0.5m is available under the scheme. Further details are available on my Department’s website – www.dcya.gov.ie.

My Department has completed a Value for Money and Policy Review of the youth funding schemes that target disadvantaged young people. The review makes recommendations for the future operation of youth programmes that will shape their development in the years ahead to ensure quality, effective, value-for-money services that are evidence based and secure the best outcomes for young people. I intend that the recommendations of the review will be progressed in the context of the new National Youth Strategy that is being developed by my Department for the end of 2014. The Strategy will be a universal strategy for all young people, aged between 10 and 24 years, while having particular regard to those young people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing the poorest outcomes and, therefore, in most need of support.

I, and officials of my Department have met, and continue to meet regularly, with youth organisations and groups, including those from disadvantaged areas throughout the country. My aim is to see how we can work together to bring about the best possible outcomes for young people, having regard to resources available to us and to ensure that the programmes and services being provided are relevant and responsive to young people’s needs.