Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
432. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth the grants available for scouting organisations from her Department; whether any of these can be used for international trips; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32976/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education and Youth does not provide any specific grants to scouting organisations to support international trips. The department provides substantial funding to Scouting Ireland, the Irish Girl Guides, and the Catholic Guides of Ireland under the Youth Services Grant Scheme (YSGS). This funding supports the core costs and staffing of these national youth organisations, helping them deliver high quality youth work across the country.
Additional funding has been provided to these organisations in recent years through related schemes including the Youth Climate Justice fund (YCJF), which supports youth-led activities related to climate justice; capital funding for ICT investment, purchase of equipment and the completion of minor works; and the Volunteer Activation Fund which supports projects to recruit, support and retain volunteers in the youth sector.
The most recent grants provided to the major scouting and guiding organisations from the department under these headings are detailed in the table below:
|
Organisation |
Youth Services Grant Scheme allocation 2026 |
Youth Climate Justice Fund 2026 |
Youth services capital fund 2025 |
Volunteer Activation Fund 2024-2025 |
|
Scouting Ireland |
€1,549,441 |
€49,999 |
€35,000 |
- |
|
Irish Girl Guides |
€536,437 |
- |
€20,000 |
€150,000 |
|
Catholic Guides of Ireland |
€363,353 |
- |
€6,648 |
- |
Additionally, individual clubs avail of funding towards the costs of running clubs/groups under the Department's Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS). Over 270 Scouting Ireland local groups benefited from cumulative grants of over €660,000 under the LYCGS 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.
