Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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1047. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made by the national advisory group on the national volunteering strategy and the implementation of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6954/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I am pleased to advise that the National Volunteering Strategy was launched on the 5 December last, which coincided with International Volunteering Day. The purpose of the Strategy is to recognise, support and promote the unique value and contribution of volunteers to Irish society. It provides an opportunity for Government to acknowledge how important volunteering is to the well-being of the nation and to steer the delivery of an agreed and ambitious vision for the future of volunteering in Ireland.

The Strategy comprises five high level objectives, with 56 associated actions and it outlines a whole-of-government framework to support the volunteering environment.

As provided for in the Strategy, my Department is in the process of forming the Volunteering Strategy Implementation Group, which will be drawn from various stakeholders across the sector. This group will assist my Department in implementing the actions contained in the Strategy over the next five years, and will monitor and evaluate progress on delivery.