A new €100 voucher for young people that will be spent on cultural and sporting events will “benefit significantly”, a Fianna Fáil TD has argued. 

The exact details of the scheme will be announced in the budget, but it is expected that all 16-years-olds will be offered one. The cost to taxpayers would be between €7 and €8 million.  

On Newstalk Breakfast, Carlow-Kilkenny TD Peter Cleere said the aim of the scheme would be to encourage young people to engage more with the cultural life of their community. 

“That €100 can be redeemed for tickets to live events, be that music, comedy, drama, sporting, right across the country,” he explained. 

“And I suppose the aim of the initiative really is to make culture and sports more accessible to our younger people.”

The Fianna Fáil TD added that it would also benefit local businesses across the country. 

“When young people attend events and engage in activities, they're going to spend money not just on the admission fees to concerts, but also on transportation, on food, on merchandise,” he said. 

“And local businesses then would benefit significantly around the country because there'd be a rippling effect created, which would be able to help sustain jobs and stimulate economic growth.”

Similar schemes are available other European countries, such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany. 

“In Spain, for example, where young people who turn 18 in a given year can apply for the card,” Deputy Cleere said. 

“They have the voucher broken down into three different sections; so, €200, 50% of it is for live arts and for cultural heritage.

“Then they have €100 for physical format, which would be like books and records, etc. 

“And then €100 for digital or online consumption, including music and audiovisual platforms.”

Main image: Crowd of people at a music concert or festival. Picture by: Alamy.com.