Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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346. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the timeframe for the development of the LGBT youth strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34182/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Programme for Government (2016) gives a commitment to develop a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Youth Strategy. This is a key commitment for my Department in the Programme for Government and also makes a contribution towards the Government’s broader commitment to continue to strive for full inclusion of LGBT people in Ireland. The development of this Strategy will be led by my Department.

Shortly I will be announcing a high profile Chair and an oversight group. It is my intention to ensure that the consultation process and completion of the strategy are progressed in a timely fashion throughout 2017. In Budget 2017 I have secured a specific allocation of 400,000 Euro to support the strategy development process and commence implementation.

A specific focus on LGBT Youth will aim to ensure that appropriate measures are taken so that young people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are not in any way prevented from achieving their full potential.

The National Youth Strategy published in 2015 identifies Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender young people as a specific group to be considered in the context of focused provision for marginalised young people. The concerns relating to lives of LGBT young people as documented in the National Youth Strategy were further illuminated in recent months by in-depth research commissioned by BeLonGTo and GLEN and undertaken by Prof Higgins TCD.

The LGBT Youth Strategy will build on the National Youth Strategy (2015) which aims to enable all young people to realise their maximum potential by respecting their rights, hearing their voices and addressing their concerns .

It is important to me that the voices and the experiences of young people are front and centre in forming the strategy – and a consultation will be a key part of the work. The strategy will be informed by youth and stakeholder consultation, situation analysis to include review of current policy, strategy and service provision and relevant existing data.