Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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462. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason for the delay in dealing with an application from a youth services centre (details supplied) in Dublin 12, supported by the City of Dublin Youth Service Board, that €60,000 allocated to it under YP1 should be refocused and issued to it as per the application in December 2014, to allow this vital youth service to a disadvantaged area to employ an additional youth worker. [34312/15]

Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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469. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a youth centre (details supplied) in Dublin 12 can re-direct its previous funding, under the new options new choices scheme, to fund a youth development worker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34632/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 462 and 469 together.

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. It is estimated that the voluntary youth services throughout the country 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, current funding of €49.93m has been provided to my Department for these schemes.

The funding for local youth projects and services is administered in the main by Education and Training Boards. In Dublin City, City of Dublin Youth Service Board under City of Dublin Education and Training Board undertakes this role. Some eighty local projects and services are in receipt of funding under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund and Local Drugs Task Force Projects and €10m in 2015 has been allocated to City of Dublin Youth Service Board for distribution to the projects.

My Department works closely with City of Dublin Youth Service Board and Education and Training Boards throughout the country in the administration of youth services.

The St. John Bosco Youth Centre is funded under my Department’s Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund. Some €216,000 has been made available to it in 2015 for the delivery of youth services. The Centre provides youth services to young people aged 10 to 21 years in the Drimnagh area, particularly targeting those affected by a range of economic and social factors.

I have been advised that the Centre sought City of Dublin Youth Service Board’s approval for their funding to be re-configured to fund a full-time youth work post. The City of Dublin Youth Service Board has submitted a number of proposals to my Department to reconfigure funding within its area, to be considered in the context of the 2016 allocation of funding. The proposal from St John Bosco Youth Centre will be examined by my Department in this context.