Mr. Michael McLoughlin:

The partnership between the two organisations is based on a strategic plan and agreement. It is very substantial in terms of meeting and progressing work. We have a very strong focus on front-line work with young people in communities, and although teams and managers meet to speak about the type and quality of work, we also run direct programmes. For example, I have provided the Chairman with information about the Irish Youth Music Awards, which has over 10,000 people from young bands in local communities participating North and South of the Border. Ms Redpath can speak a bit more about an apprenticeship programme for youth workers, run directly for young people who wish to pursue a career in youth work on both sides of the Border. A while ago Mr. McMullan and I were strongly associated with exchange work involving young people North and South of the Border and people in the south-west Balkans in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia. That took in the lessons of conflict and its impact on young people. There is a significant level of direct work ongoing, which we hope is one of the strong outcomes of the partnership.

In considering the committee's agenda, it may wish to examine the common challenges faced by young people in youth unemployment. There are large numbers of young people who are not in education North and South of the Border, and we have had much discussion about that. We are trying to raise political engagement in young people, and there is an active voices of youth group, with young people engaging directly with policy makers. That is consistent with the national children's strategy and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the North there is a Let's Talk initiative, which is similar, and we are trying to bring those together as much as possible. There is much going on of great relevance, and even in the area of health and well-being we have always tried to highlight issues about young people's mental and physical health.

There is a North-South dimension to that as well, and we often hear North-South trade cited as a reason not to take action on issues such as alcohol and tobacco pricing. The World Health Organisation advocates a public health view and I know there have been meetings between the Ministers North and South about those issues. We encourage the committee to take an active interest in that so that the Border is not used as an excuse not to take effective public health measures on behalf of young people, for example.

It is 15 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. In working together and as institutions mature and relationships improve, we should look for more dedicated space for young people in those institutions and in civic society engagement. Even if we want to put forward joint initiatives and measures, it is very hard to find a space to do so. There is no North-South body in this area, and the only opportunity for co-operation is in the education field, and even that tends to be very limited in what can be done. We are working together on a North-South basis and coming across many issues but we are scratching the surface. It is very hard to find institutional space and, related to this, it is very hard to find the funding base to do that work. We are robbing Peter to pay Paul even in doing the most basic or rudimentary work. The committee should think about whether there is a way of supporting such work on a North-South basis. There are one or two small programmes but we are merely scratching the surface and doing some very basic things. We are dipping in and out but there should be a greater space for young people and youth organisations in the institutional framework, with some type of improved funding base for working together for the future of young people. That would be a valuable outcome from this work.