293. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the review of the UBU scheme undertaken by her Department; the stage the review is at; if her Department has captured stakeholder insights; if evidence-based recommendations to inform future scheme enhancements will be made; and when the review will be published. [66820/26]

The department is dedicated to enhancing the delivery and development of youth work services and opportunities for young people across the country.

The UBU scheme is a youth funding scheme that targets young people aged between 10 to 24 who are identified as marginalised, vulnerable and at risk of not flourishing. The UBU scheme now provides funding to 258 targeted youth services across the 16 education and training boards (ETBs) that coordinate delivery of funding to the services in their local ETB areas.

There is a commitment to review the UBU Your Place Your Space (UBU) scheme under Action 8 of the national strategy for youth work and related services, Opportunities for Youth (OfY), which was published in September 2024.

The purpose of the review is to assess the extent to which the UBU scheme is achieving its policy objectives and to determine whether changes to its operational arrangements are required to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of its target groups.

During the consultation phase of OfY and in feedback received by the Department, the cumbersome nature of the processes involved in UBU administration was a strong theme from stakeholders. Accordingly, an initial exercise is focussing on procedure.

The Youth Affairs Unit has been working closely with the Business Process Improvement (BPI) Unit to undertake a comprehensive scoping exercise of the scheme’s operating processes.

Engagement with key stakeholders has been a central element of this work. In 2026, the department engaged?with ETBs and youth service providers for their input into the scheme’s operations. This collaborative effort resulted in a more streamlined application process being introduced in time for Cycle 3 of the UBU scheme in 2027, including the introduction of an online application form.

The department will continue to engage with ETBs and youth service providers to gather detailed feedback on the scheme’s operation. Separately, consideration is being given to the review of the more qualitative aspects of UBU, and it is planned that this will commence in 2026. The work carried out to date will provide useful evidence to support the review and inform any future improvements to the scheme’s operation and effectiveness.