Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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303. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of funding the Youngballymun project at current activity for 2016 and projected cost over the next six years. [14038/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The ABC programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Atlantic Philanthropies. It is a time-bound, co-funding arrangement in the amount of €29.7m from 2013 to 2017. The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children, and families living in poverty in 13 areas of disadvantage. Regular amendments to the programme design are expected based on ongoing analysis of the impact of services and programmes in each area. The focus of the work under the ABC Programme covers in the main: Child Health & Development; Children’s Learning; Parenting; and Integrated Service Delivery.

The ABC programme was preceded by the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) (2007-2013) in which three sites participated: youngballymun, The Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght and The Preparing for Life Programme, Darndale. Youngballymun received €15m as a participant in the Prevention and Early Intervention programme. The total funding for Youngballymun under the ABC Programme is €5m bringing the total funding received by Youngballymun to €20m.

Youngballymun have calculated that its level of expenditure in 2016 will be €1.6m. Projected running costs for Youngballymun for a further six years would be determined by the design of a programme which prioritises those services and programmes demonstrating compelling evidence of positive impact on children's outcomes. Projected running costs for a further six years based on the budgets since 2007 and the existing programme design and delivery would be an estimated €9.6m assuming that no significant changes to its work were to be made. It should be noted as The Atlantic Philanthropies as co-funder of this programme are winding down operations, the total amount of this funding would need to be met by the State.

I look forward to the continued engagement of Youngballymun with my Department to ensure the implementation of quality prevention and early intervention initiatives in order to achieve our shared goal of improving the lives of children and families in Ballymun and throughout the country. The current contract for Youngballymun, along with the other two former PEIP sites is due to conclude in July 2016. My aim is to bring the Young Ballymun Programme together with that of other two sites to July 2017. To ensure continued provision, my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies have sanctioned an additional €400k to each of the three former PEIP sites. Efforts will be made to further supplement this bare level of funding to each of the three sites based on the priorisation of the most effective interventions within their service agreements.