Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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355. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which his Department engages with voluntary and local groups and youth services with a view to providing positive and supportive assistance to young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2743/15]

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. In 2015, funding of €49.9m has been provided to my Department for these schemes. 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.

Ongoing engagement and dialogue with the voluntary youth sector organisations and with young people themselves are priorities in the formulation of policies and provision of services to support young people’s development and learning. My Department works closely with the youth sector interests in various fora in developing key initiatives. The National Youth Work Advisory Committee, whose members include representatives of the national youth organisations, Government departments and the Education and Training Boards, that support youth services at local level, has an important advisory role to me in matters to do with provision for young people. My Department has worked with the youth sector on the development of youth work responses to the challenges of youth unemployment, including the contribution that the youth services can make to the Government's employment agenda and the Action Plan For Jobs, 2014.

The youth sector is engaged in the development, by my Department, of the new National Youth Strategy 2014- 2020. The strategy will have its basis in National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, ‘Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures’ and will span the period 2014 – 2020. A National Youth Strategy Task Group, convened by my Department, is overseeing the development of the new Strategy. This Task Group comprises statutory youth interests and voluntary agencies and organisations working with young people.

I am keen that all stakeholders have a role to play in the development of the National Youth Strategy and a comprehensive consultation process is underway at present. It includes online surveys of young people and those working with young people and three major stakeholder consultation events planned for later this month. These events are for young people, the youth sector, NGOs working for and with young people, Education and Training Boards, Government departments, agencies, business and academia and other youth interests.

I, and officials of my Department have met, and continue to meet regularly, with youth organisations and groups. In September, I met with the representatives of some 30 national and major regional youth organisations. 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.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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356. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which he continues to support Kildare Youth Services; his plans to continue supports to the services in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2744/15]

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 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 2015, funding of €49.9m has been provided to my Department for these schemes. There has been no reduction in the overall allocation for youth services in 2015 which was a key priority for youth organisations. My Department is in the process of notifying youth organisations and projects, including Kildare Youth Service, of their 2015 allocations in respect of their youth services. An allocation of €488,200 has been allocated for the projects and services under Kildare Youth Services.

Last year, officials of my Department met Kildare Youth Services and have visited their office in Naas to hear about their work and their proposals, for the provision of services in County Kildare. My Department provides funding to Kildare Youth Services under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme in respect of six local youth projects in Athy, Naas, Leixlip, Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare town and a Youth Information Centre in Naas. In addition, Kildare Youth Hub, Kildare Town has received approval under the 2013 Capital Scheme for the development of a new youth café facility.