Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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122. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if his attention has been drawn to funding difficulties faced by a youth club (details supplied) in County Cork as the service was forced to close recently as a result of same; if the possibility of continuing the service has been considered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45683/14]

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 and targeted support schemes for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people. 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.

In recent years capital funding has been made available to my Department for the development of youth cafés and some 100 new youth café facilities have received support under the scheme since 2011 when the Department of Children and Youth Affairs was established. Recent research undertaken by my Department indicates that there are now over 160 youth cafés throughout the country. In the main, these have been developed, over the years, by local communities with the support of different funding sources.

The youth café initiative referred to by the Deputy has not received funding under the capital funding schemes administered by my Department. I have been advised that the youth café in question has received funding under the Local and Community Development Programme administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. I understand that funding has been provided under the programme and that an allocation has been made to the youth café in 2014 and that the café remains open to the young people in the area.

My Department does not have available to it a capital fund for the development of new youth cafés in 2014. Youth Cafés offer young people a safe, alcohol and drug free space, for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities and they make an important contribution to facilities for young people at local level. Youth Cafés make an important contribution to the development of services to meet the needs of young people in their local communities. The development of youth cafés is a priority for my Department should further capital funding become available in future years.

In 2014, funding of €548,205 has been provided for local youth work projects and services in County Cork.