Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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132. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the supports his Department has put in place to ensure the sustainability of youth services in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40776/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am pleased to confirm that I secured an additional €5 million in current funding for youth services nationally as part of Budget 2021. My officials are currently working on the apportionment of these funds in the context of the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume later this year. As such, I am not in a position as yet to provide a detailed breakdown of these allocations.

As part of the Budget 2021 announcements, the youth sector has also been allocated a capital sum of €3m. This funding will support the annual youth sector capital scheme to be designed and rolled out in 2021.

Furthermore, I have secured an additional amount of €1m capital funding in the current year (2020) to support ICT procurement in the youth sector before year end. This ICT grant scheme is being rolled out through the ETBs in accordance with their role as funding intermediary for youth schemes. This initiative is additional to the Covid-related small grant scheme for the sector which was announced earlier this year.

The additional funding allocated to youth services in 2021 will support the delivery of universal and targeted youth services nationwide, with a particular view to the role played by youth services in supporting mental wellbeing, fostering resilience and developing the social and personal competencies of young people, including disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable young people.

While I recognise and acknowledge that youth sector funding saw deep cuts during the preceding decade, in recent years funding for the provision of youth services has increased on an annual basis. Between 2016 and 2020 the annual current youth funding available to my Department has increased from €51.9m to €61.79m.

It is now more critical than ever that our young people are supported as they experience the social, economic, physical and mental health impacts of the pandemic. In recognition of the vital role played by youth work in providing such support to young people, funding levels have been maintained throughout the current challenging period and I have secured additional funding for 2021. This will enable the youth sector to continue to provide supports to young people, particularly to marginalised, disadvantaged and vulnerable young people.

I am committed to supporting this important sector, which has enormous value both to the many young people involved and from a broader social and economic viewpoint.