Youth Work Supports
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-21
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Hildegarde Naughton (FG), Galway West

I thank the Deputies for raising those issues. Youth workers are employed directly by individual youth organisations. They are not public servants. Their terms and conditions, including pay, are set by those organisations. My Department provides grant funding for the provision of youth services to the organisations in question to meet the needs of young people. It does not directly employ youth workers or set the terms and conditions of employment.
My Department is aware that pension provisions across the sector are inconsistent. Some youth organisations have established pension schemes but others have not. The additional current funding that is being provided as part of budget 2026 will help youth organisations to manage the pressures on them, including the costs arising, for example, from pension obligations. Current funding of €90.1 million will be available this year. That represents a 5%, or €4.5 million, increase on the 2025 allocation.
The results of the survey will be analysed. My Department is progressing the workforce development strategy in recognition of the important work that the workforce does within the youth sector. There is also a fund relating to volunteerism, and there is the activation fund. There is €20 million in capital funding allocated to youth services as part of the national development plan. My Department is working with other Departments, including the Department of Children, local authorities and the ETBs, in the area of capital projects.
The workforce survey will be really important in the context of informing our work. The consultations will form a key part of that work. I assure the Deputies that this is a key priority. We have increased capital and current funding. I want to continue to do that and to work with and listen to the sector. I know the importance of youth work across the country.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-21