Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question is directed to everybody. I thank them for their presentation. Ireland is very much an individual-based society and the leading person, whether in politics or in social entrepreneurship, is very much identified with the organisation.

It is a great sign that Ms Casey is stepping down in the interest of allowing the organisation to outlast and grow beyond her.

Some of the speakers touched on the issue of education and lobbying in their respective areas. It is amazing that our education system does not factor in what the witnesses are striving to achieve, whether that involves women in politics, social entrepreneurship or volunteering. We recently met a group of students and their teachers for whom civil, social and political education will be confined to one hour per week. These matters are important to students' futures but our education system teaches people how to make a living rather than how to live their lives. Have the witnesses lobbied coherently for the development of active citizenship as a subject on the curriculum? I understand they have worked with 136 schools but it should be part of the curriculum for every school. If what the witnesses are doing was added to the curriculum we would have a much better education system.