Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a question about funding for youth projects. The Department gives funding to Pobal and the education and training boards, ETBs. I am looking at the figures for funding for youth work in counties Laois and Offaly. They are the two counties with the highest percentage of ten- to 24-year-olds and they consistently receive the lowest level of funding. In 2021 the total amount of funding was €427,000 for the ETB in both counties. At the time, that equated to €13.68 per person for young people aged between ten years old and 24 years old, which I understand are the relevant ones. It was 69% less than the average of €43.84. The population of Laois-Offaly has increased by 59,590, or 32%, from the figure recorded in the previous census. If you separate out County Laois, the population increased by 73% between 1996 and 2022. Mr. McCarthy will get the point I am making. When you look at those statistics, it is the area with the fastest-growing population and the lowest amount of funding. It has the highest percentage of people between the ages of ten and 24. According to Pobal, in 2021 Laois-Offaly received €427,253, which equates to the figure of €13.68 to which I referred. However, an ETB at the top of the list received €162.57. You can work down the list looking at the level of funding for the different ETBs. Why is that? What is happening there? It has the lowest level of funding by any measure, if the 2021 figures are anything to go by.