Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the work of her Department to support youth services and youth organisations, particularly in rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20987/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department supports the delivery of youth services nationwide. Arising from Budget 2025, €84.9m has been allocated for current and capital expenditure for the benefit of young people, an increase in funding of €7 million, or almost 9%, on the 2024 budget. Over the period from 2021 to 2025, the level of current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes has increased by over 34%. This investment will facilitate the implementation of Opportunities for Youth: The National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028, which includes a clear set of strategic objectives and 18 priority actions intended to strengthen the role of youth work and related services in the lives of young people in throughout Ireland.

Young people experiencing rural isolation are a specified target group under my Department's largest youth funding scheme UBU Your Place Your Space, under which €50.7 million was allocated in 2025. Since the launch of this scheme in 2020, significant additional funding has been allocated to new services in rural towns across the country. In 2025 additional funding of €1.2 million is being provided for the establishment of a further 10 new UBU youth services and these new services will provide targeted youth worker-led support to up to 1,000 disadvantaged young people where they are most needed. As the Deputy is aware, following the formation of the new Government on the 23 January 2025, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin appointed Deputy Helen McEntee as Minister for Education and Youth, while I was appointed Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. This restructuring requires a transfer of functions between our Departments, with the responsibility for Youth transferring from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to the Department of Education. As a result of this change, the selection process for the new UBU services will be completed under the Department of Education once the Youth function transfers.

The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme funded by the Department and administered by the local Education and Training Boards (ETBs) supports volunteer led youth clubs across the country, and are particularly important in rural areas. €2.7 million has been provided by my Department for this scheme in 2025, an increase of 8% on 2024 level. This scheme ensures that rural communities have access to volunteer-led youth clubs and groups fostering personal development, inclusion, and well-being.

The Youth Services Grant Scheme (YSGS) provides funding to 35 National Youth Organisations to provide universal youth services across Ireland, urban and rural. My Department is providing €15.3 million this year under this scheme. The YSGS plays a crucial role in supporting rural youth by ensuring that young people have access to clubs, activities, and supports that foster their growth and engagement. Additionally, these Organisations enhance the wider youth sector by offering training for volunteer youth workers, promoting evidence-based youth work, and advocating for the voluntary youth sector. This ensures that rural youth benefit from high-quality services despite geographical challenges.

I am very cognisant of the challenges still being experienced by some clubs in recruiting volunteers, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, funding of €650,000 was allocated in 2024 to the Volunteer Activation Fund, which will continue into 2025, providing additional support to National Youth Organisations in recruiting, retaining, and supporting volunteers.

My Department is currently conducting a comprehensive mapping exercise of the youth services sector, aiming to capture all youth services, both youth worker-led and volunteer-led. This mapping exercise leverages CSO population data and the Pobal deprivation index to help identify gaps in service provision and enable my Department and stakeholders to develop proposals to expand youth service provision where necessary. The mapping exercise will also provide information to young people, their guardians, and teachers of youth services which are available in their communities.

Finally, my officials and I will also continue to engage with the ETBs across the country who have responsibility for supporting the provision, coordination, administration, and assessment of youth services in its functional area to understand the youth service needs of young people across the country, including those living in rural and remote communities.