Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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489. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which his department can provide for adequate funding for youth services and youth development services country-wide, with particular reference to areas of social and economic deprivation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56259/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department is making a significant investment in youth services in 2024, building on the increases in recent years and securing the achievements into the future.

The full package of current funding for youth services and programmes in my Department is €77.95 million, an increase of €5 million, or 6.8%, on the 2023 budget.

€74.45m is being provided for youth services funded under the existing funding schemes. In addition, €1million is being provided to establish a new Youth Employability Scheme which aims to help young people to participate in the workforce, education, or training.

€2.5 million is being provided to support the expansion of universal youth services, which are provided by volunteer led youth organisations around the country. This funding will enable more groups to support young people and will create more places in youth groups.

From 2020 to Budget 2024, current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes increased from €61.789 million to €77.95 million, a 26% increase overall.

Of this funding, over €47 million is being provided next year for my Departments UBU Your Place Your Space scheme which targets disadvantaged young people with evidence informed interventions and services that will secure good outcomes. UBU Your Place Your Space provides funding to over 260 targeted youth services across 16 Education and Training Boards.

A key tenet of the UBU scheme is the production of evidence of local need. In allocating funding under the scheme, each ETB carries out an Area Profile, Needs Assessment and Service Requirement process. This approach ensures that DCEDIY can target supports to the young people most in need of intervention and that funding is allocated on the basis of evidenced need.