Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
535. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the breakdown of the allocation of capital funding for youth affairs for each of the past six years and for 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6135/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education and Youth is strongly committed to supporting youth services through targeted capital investment nationally.
Between 2020 and 2024, youth capital funding was administered by the then Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, prior to the transfer of function to the Department of Education and Youth on 01 May 2025. The annual capital funding allocation for the benefit of young people contained an element of capital funding for the administration of the play and recreation scheme, this scheme made capital grants available to local authorities to refurbish and develop facilities for young people. Arising from the transfer of the youth function to the Department of Education and Youth, this element of youth capital funding was retained by that Department of Children, Disability and Youth and has therefore been listed separately in the table below.
In addition to the play and recreation scheme, capital investment over this period supported a broad range of initiatives, including the Youth Capital Funding Scheme (YCFS) for both UBU Your Place Your Space services and National Youth Organisations, capital support for the establishment of new UBU services, and allocations to Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS) clubs. In addition, funding was provided for ICT infrastructure upgrades, enhancing digital capacity and service delivery across both National Organisations and UBU services.
As the Deputy will be aware, under Budget 2026 the Youth Affairs Unit will receive €4 million in capital funding, which will support targeted investment in essential upgrades to youth facilities, equipment and digital infrastructure, ensuring the delivery of safe, modern and inclusive spaces for young people.
Youth capital funding allocations provided for the benefit of young people for the period 2020 to 2026
|
Year |
Overall Youth capital allocation |
Play & Recreation Scheme |
Capital funding to support youth organisation/ youth services and youth clubs |
|
2020 |
€4.1 million |
€0.45 million |
€3.0 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. Additional once-off ICT capital funding of €1.1 million was made available in 2020 to increase the provision of online youth services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. |
|
2021 |
€3.0 million |
€0.45 million |
€2.55 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. |
|
2022 |
€2.7 million |
€0.45 million |
€2.25 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. |
|
2023 |
€2.7 million |
€0.45 million |
€2.25 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. |
|
2024 |
€0.45 million |
€0.45 million |
Nil |
|
2025 |
€1.0 million |
€0.5 million |
€0.5 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. |
|
2026 |
€4.0 million |
N/A |
€4.0 million to support the youth capital grant scheme for youth organisations, youth services and clubs. |
