Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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485. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for capital funding in 2017 for development of new youth service facilities and youth cafés. [38330/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector, to young people throughout the country. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff, including youth workers and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. Budget 2017 has provided €2.6m to my Department for a capital funding scheme for youth projects and services.

Work on the development of a new capital funding scheme for 2017 is underway. My Department is engaging with each Education and Training Board Youth Officer to identify the capital needs of the youth sector. I hope to announce details of this new capital scheme in the coming months.