Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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99. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which he expects to be in a position to offer support financially and-or otherwise to youth organisations in the coming year; if this remains in line with expectations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36770/15]

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

I am pleased to tell the Deputy that Budget 2016 has provided an additional €1.1m in current funding to my Department to support the provision of youth services, by the voluntary youth sector. This will bring the allocation for the projects and services throughout the country to €51m in 2016. My Department will shortly commence work in the detailed allocations for local youth services and projects and every effort is being made to notify local projects of their allocation for 2016 in the coming weeks. An additional €2.25m in capital allocation has also been provided in Budget 2016. In the main, the capital allocation will be used to support smaller scale projects in local youth services such as refurbishments, health and safety works and accessibility projects. Details of this new capital scheme will be advertised early in the new year.

The Deputy may be aware that I recently launched Ireland’s first National Youth Strategy 2015 - 2020 on 8th October 2015 at the Bluebell Youth and Community Project in Dublin 12. The National Youth Strategy sets out Government’s aim and objectives for young people, aged 10 to 24 years, so that they can be active and healthy, achieving their full potential in learning and development, safe and protected from harm, have economic security and opportunity and be connected and contributing to their world. It is a universal strategy for all young people. It has a particular focus on the needs of young people at risk of experiencing the poorest outcomes.

The Strategy identifies some fifty priority actions to be delivered by Government departments, state agencies and by others, including the voluntary youth services over 2015 to 2017.

As a first step in delivering the Nation Youth Strategy, my Department has introduced a new Youth Employability Initiative which will provide €600,000 in grants to the voluntary youth services for programmes that target disadvantaged young people to improve their employability. The new Youth Employability Initiative is funded under the Dormant Accounts Scheme. Full details of the Youth Employability Initiative, including the application form are available on my Department's website, www.dcya.gov.ie.