Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
515. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the ongoing needs of Ukrainian young people will be met within existing lines (UBU, LYCGS, YSGS) without displacing current service users given the dedicated migrant integration subhead has been discontinued; the supports available for other migrant populations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14378/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI was 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 brings the overall core current and capital funding available to support existing youth services and youth work infrastructure to €94.1 million for 2026, representing a 9.3% increase on the corresponding funding available in 2025.
In 2026, the core current funding allocation of €90.1 million will support youth services and youth organisations across both targeted and universal provision for young people. This significant investment contributes directly to sustaining and enhancing participation levels across all youth funding schemes, which now involve over 450,000 young people nationwide.
UBU Your Place Your Space (UBU) is the department’s largest youth funding scheme, targeting young people aged 10 to 24 who are marginalised, disadvantaged, or vulnerable. Migrant young people — including those from Ukraine — are explicitly recognised within the scheme’s definition of marginalisation, which encompasses young people whose circumstances limit their opportunities, such as young carers, members of the Traveller and Roma communities, and immigrants or migrants.
UBU delivers evidence-informed supports designed to secure positive developmental, social, and personal outcomes for these groups. In 2026, over €54.5 million is being allocated to UBU, supporting 258 targeted youth services across 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The ETBs play a central role in coordinating and distributing UBU funding locally, ensuring that services are responsive to the evolving needs of all young people, including those from migrant backgrounds.
This figure includes the department’s Resilience and Effectiveness (R&E) initiative which will increase by over 80% in 2026 to €1.1 million. This expanded funding stream will explicitly enable ETBs to invite funded organisations that have identified needs arising from the cessation of the dedicated Ukrainian Migrant Integration Fund to apply for R&E support. This provides a potential mechanism for services to address newly emerging pressures or gaps in provision for migrant young people, including those from Ukraine. Decisions on the allocation of R&E funding will rest with the ETBs as part of their mid-level governance responsibilities, ensuring that investment is rooted in local evidence and prioritised in line with the specific circumstances of communities.
Similarly, the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS), which will receive funding of €2.764 million in 2026, is a universal funding programme that supports volunteer-led youth clubs and groups nationwide. The scheme is open to all young people aged 10 to 21, irrespective of background, nationality, or migration status. Because it is community-based and non-targeted, LYCGS provides a highly accessible entry point for young people from migrant communities to participate in local activities alongside their peers.
Youth clubs funded under LYCGS typically offer informal, social, and recreational opportunities that help young people build friendships, gain confidence, and feel part of their wider community. This low-barrier model can be effective in promoting integration, as it creates natural, shared spaces where young people from different backgrounds can meet, mix, and engage on an equal footing.
Taken together, these schemes—UBU, LYCGS, and the broader suite of youth supports including YSGS which provides funding to national youth organisations to support membership across the country —ensure that the ongoing needs of Ukrainian young people, and of migrant young people more generally, can continue to be met within existing funding lines.
The department remains strongly committed to ensuring that all young people in Ireland—including those who have arrived here seeking safety and stability—can access meaningful supports, participate in youth services, and integrate into Irish society.
