£109k spent in WELB reaching travellers

The total spend was £109,271 between 2006/7 and 2010/11 with the funding going to the Derry Travellers Support Group.

The Minister of Education Caitríona Ruane explained: “Earmarked funding for outreach work has been made available by DE to the Education and Library Boards from 2006/07 onwards and to the Youth Council from 2008/09 onwards.

“In 2006/07 and 2007/08 funding was provided from the Children and Young People Funding Package specifically for outreach youth work provision focusing on marginalised and isolated young people in rural areas.

“Following the ending of this funding package, DE continued allocating earmarked outreach funding which included both rural and urban areas.”

She advised that the majority of youth outreach funding was used to secure outreach/detached youth worker posts and that the purpose of these posts was to engage with young people who were “disengaged, hard to reach or who do not regularly engage in mainstream youth provision.”

“Some of these young people are from the Travelling Community. In addition to this, outreach funding is used for specifically targeted initiatives and programmes,” she explained.

She added: “In determining my draft Budget proposals I afforded protection to a number of important spending areas including youth.

“The Executive and Assembly agreed the Final Budget allocations on 9 March and I am now in a position to consider how best to allocate the resources available to me.

“Until I have the opportunity to do this, no final decisions on allocations for 2011/12 and future years can be made in relation to any organisation funded by the Department. As the Executive and Assembly has now agreed the budget, interim measures will not be considered.”

She made the comments in response to an Assembly Question.