Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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312. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that youth services in Cabra have been directed by the Department of Education and Skills of revised pay scales for youth workers as part of the Haddington Road pay restoration deal and consequently increased funding allocated must be used in the first instance to increase youth workers’ pay and will not be used to increase services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23732/17]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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313. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the directive on revised pay scales for Cabra youth services or others was issued after programmes and agreements were devised with staff; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this has put further strain on the voluntary boards of management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23733/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together.

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. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country.

I am pleased to confirm that I have allocated an extra €5.5m in current funding to support the provision of youth services in 2017. This will bring the total youth funding by my Department to €57.4m. The additional funding is being used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.

This year, I approved a 5% increase in funding to each of the targeted youth services operating across the country.

With the exception of a small number of services staffed by Education and Training Board employees, staff employed in youth projects and services funded by my Department, are not public servants. City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB) acts as my Department’s funding intermediary in the administration of targeted youth funding to youth services in Dublin City, including those in Cabra. I am advised that a number of youth workers, employed in projects administered by CDYSB, are on scales linked to public pay scales. It has been brought to my attention that Department of Education and Skills Circular Letter 0027/2017 may apply to these individuals.

In this regard, I am further advised that the costs associated with the implementation of this Circular is considerably less than the 5% increase in allocation that each of these services received this year.