I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of Ireland’s diverse youth population.
The capital funding element of this €8 million forms part of the broader investment framework under Project Ireland 2040, which will see €7.55 billion invested in the education and youth sector over the period 2026–2030. This strategic investment supports the delivery of essential infrastructure and resources across the sector, including targeted capital improvements for youth services, to ensure safe, modern, and inclusive environments for young people.
Accordingly, there is no separate capital funding for youth affairs external to the National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. All capital investment in the youth sector is aligned with the NDP framework and forms part of the Department’s approach to long-term infrastructure planning and service development.
My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later in the autumn. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
