Written answers

Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Youth Cafés Provision

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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631. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to provide funding for a youth café (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11848/16]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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In some recent years capital funding has been made available to my Department for the development of youth café facilities. 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. Recent research undertaken by my Department indicates that there are now more than 150 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. In 2013, capital funding provided to my Department supported the development of some 30 new youth café proposals.

While capital funding of €2.6m has been provided to my Department in 2016, this funding is allocated, in the main, for small scale capital works, such as re-fits and accessibility improvements in the voluntary youth services funded under schemes administered by my Department.

My Department does not have available to it in 2016 a capital fund for the development of further new youth cafés. The development of youth café facilities is a priority for my Department should further capital funding become available for these purposes in future years.

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