Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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404. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he intends to continue with the present system of funding for the your place your space scheme; and if his attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by community organisations that valuable networks could be damaged if the current system is changed. [38397/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 404 and 407 together.

The next cycle for UBU Your Place Your Space is due to start on 1 January 2024. This is to be preceded by an area profiling exercise and application process. UBU Your Place Your Space does allow for changes or improvements, as might be expected in a cyclical scheme. However, as regards the underlying policy, no change to the approach set out in the policy and operating rules has been proposed or agreed.

The function of the service requirement is set out in section 3.2 of the UBU Your Place Your Space Policy and Operating Rules, noting that it enables the ETB to set out priority needs of young people in a geographic area to organisations applying for funding under the scheme. Section 3.4 states that an area profiling exercise as prescribed by the Department is to be completed to produce service requirements in advance of the application process.

My Department is currently engaging with the Education and Training Boards in regard to the preparations for the next cycle of UBU Your Place Your Space.