Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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194. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department continues to support a group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52672/18]

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 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.  

The overall budget for the youth sector in 2018 is € 58.9m in current expenditure, an increase of €7m in the youth funding provided in 2016. 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.  

In 2018, an amount of €539,282 was allocated for the projects and services under Kildare Youth Services, which operates under Youth Work Ireland. My Department provides funding to Kildare Youth Services under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme in respect of six local youth projects in Athy, Naas, Leixlip, Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare town and a Youth Information Centre in Naas.