Charitable and Voluntary Organisations

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Questions (504, 505)

Shane Moynihan

Question:

504. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding streams open to scouting organisations. [10402/26]

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505. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding supports currently available through her Department to support scout units and groups with dens; the way in which her Department is strengthening the local community presence and long-term viability of scouting organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8691/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 505 together.

The Department of Education and Youth provides funding under the Youth Services Grant Scheme to national youth organisations to help them deliver high-quality youth work across Ireland. National youth organisations funded under the Scheme include Scouting Ireland, the Irish Girl Guides, and the Catholic Guides of Ireland, who between them account for a substantial network of scouting and guiding groups and dens, led by thousands of dedicated volunteers. In their 2024 annual reports, the most recent year for which figures are currently available, these three organisations reported over 35,000 young people taking part in scouting and guiding activities:

Category	Scouting Ireland	Irish Girl Guides	Catholic Guides of Ireland	Total
Participants	26,337	6,198	2,503	35,038
Volunteers	7,648	1,321	519	9,488
Clubs	392	413	248	1,053

Details of the YSGS grant allocations to the three organisations in 2026, together with funding received under other relevant schemes can be seen in the table below:

Organisations	Youth Services Grant Scheme allocation 2026	Youth services capital fund 2025	Volunteer Activation Fund 2024-2025
Scouting Ireland	€1,549,441	€35,000	-
Irish Girl Guides	€536,437	€20,000	€150,000
Catholic Guides of Ireland	€363,353	€6,648.42	-

In addition, individual groups and clubs also avail of funding under the department's Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS). Over 270 local clubs who were members of Scouting Ireland benefited from cumulative grants of over €660,000 under this scheme in 2024, the most recent year for which figures are currently available. Twenty-two Catholic Guides of Ireland local groups availed of LYCGS in 2024 receiving over €53,000 in total grants, while over ninety Irish Girl Guides local groups received €186,238.24 in LYCGS grants in 2024.

Question No. 505 answered with Question No. 504.