Mr. Jim Breslin:

I circulated the opening statement in advance and I will not cover all of the ground. I welcome this opportunity to update the committee on the Department's EU-related activities. In particular I thank the committee for inviting me to discuss the two reports the Department submitted on its 2013 EU activities.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has an important mandate for policy and service provision for children and young people. It comprises a number of interrelated strands including the direct provision of universal and targeted services and working to achieve the harmonisation of relevant policy and provision throughout Government so as to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

Many aspects of the Department’s activities reflect purely national competencies and it is only in specific areas that there is more extensive and on-going EU involvement. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs had no EU legislative developments during 2013. The Department’s most significant engagement with the EU over the course of 2013 was in the area of youth affairs and I will give particular attention to this area in my remarks.

With regard to EU youth policy developments, the overall aim of the Irish EU Presidency from January to June 2013 was to build on what has been achieved for and with young people under recent Presidencies and result in a sustainable legacy for youth policy and youth work. To achieve these priorities, Ireland’s ambitious programme focussed on the social inclusion of young people, which was the theme of the trio Presidency with Lithuania and Greece from January 2013 to June 2014. Ireland’s particular priorities related to the contribution of quality youth work to young people’s development, well-being and social inclusion and the potential contribution of youth work to youth employment.

At the meeting chaired by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, as part of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 16 May 2013, Ministers were asked in the policy debate to address questions on Europe’s young people and what quality youth work can contribute to addressing current challenges. Furthermore the conclusions adopted by the May Council proposed actions which will maximise the potential of youth policy in addressing the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy. A second set of conclusions, also adopted, highlight the importance of quality youth work as a tool for engagement with, and development of, young people and as a means to their social inclusion.

These conclusions include a concrete set of measures aimed at raising the profile of youth work at EU level and mainstreaming youth work into broader EU policy responses to youth employment and social inclusion.

These include establishing a new EU expert group on quality youth work; recognition of the centrality of youth work in contributing to the Europe 2020 growth and jobs agenda and in the implementation of the youth guarantee; strengthening the working relationship between the Council of Ministers and other Council of Minister configurations to ensure a youth policy perspective informs the formulation of policies that are relevant to young people; and working towards greater co-ordination between EU youth policy and education, training and employment policies.

As a follow-up to these conclusions, in June 2013, a two day informal expert round table considered the contribution of youth work to youth employment. The then Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, chose that theme as being highly relevant to Europe and to Ireland. The outcome of the meeting, the Dublin Declaration, recognises the challenges facing young people in Europe as a result of the lack of jobs and work experience, as well as the challenges posed by the widening gap between skills being sought by certain employers and those held by young prospective employees. It recognises that youth work can play a highly relevant role in developing young people's skill sets, in particular with respect to so-called soft skills such as learning to learn, social and civic competence, leadership, communication, teamwork and entrepreneurship, all of which are highly valued and sought after by employers. The declaration in particular notes the importance of the role of quality youth work in the implementation of the youth guarantee by member states.

The EU Youth Conference hosted in Dublin on 11 and 12 March 2013 was a flagship event of Ireland’s Presidency programme. Almost 200 people from across the EU attended the conference, including 109 young people and youth representatives and 65 Ministry officials participating in workshops. The conference was organised by the Department in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland. It was a major opportunity to showcase the talent and innovation of Ireland’s young people and the youth sector. Almost 100 young people were involved in supporting the conference. They acted as volunteers and took on roles as guest MCs and speakers, and provided inputs through arts and drama presentations. Over the three days, some 25 information stands showcased to European colleagues the work under way in youth programmes in communities throughout the country.

The Department has a very strong record in promoting children and young people’s participation, including through Comhairle na nÓg and Dáil na nÓg and more recently through the structured dialogue process. The prominence and quality of young people’s involvement in the conference was the subject of much favourable comment and I have no doubt will influence the approach taken under subsequent EU youth presidencies.

As an associated Presidency event, the Department supported a conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, youth and social inclusion which was held in Croke Park on 17 June 2013. This event, which was organised by BeLonG To Youth Service, brought together the main EU institutions and LGBT groups from Europe to discuss LGBT youth and education, employment, participation and rights, and youth services. The conference was developed following findings from a Europe-wide consultation under the Irish Presidency which identified LGBT youth as one of the most socially excluded groups in Europe.

Building on the outcomes of the Irish EU Presidency, in particular the outcomes of the expert round table on youth work’s contribution to youth employment, the Department, with the support of the Centre for Effective Services, instituted a mapping exercise to categorise and comment on the Irish youth work response to youth employment. The report, which is being finalised, shows that some 62,300 young people were engaged in youth employment or employability type initiatives in 2013 ranging from prevention and early intervention, mainstream youth work, targeted interventions to work related programmes.

The Department is following up with the youth sector to explore additional means of supporting proven youth work initiatives that increase the employability of marginalised young people in the 15 to 24 age group. The potential to access European Social Fund, ESF, funding to support such initiatives is being pursued by the Department in conjunction with other relevant Departments. That forms one component of the ongoing work of the Department with other key Departments in respect of the youth guarantee and tackling youth unemployment.

A new group was established by the European Commission in 2013 entitled the Informal Expert Group on the Rights of the Child. It held its first meeting in April 2013, its second in July and its third in October. The Department represents Ireland on the group. The group provides an opportunity to share good practice among member states. The group is chaired by Ms Margaret Tuite, the European Commission’s co-ordinator on children’s rights both within the Commission and in its dealings with external bodies and member states. The main purpose of the group is to enable the Commission to assist member states in addressing the EU agenda for the rights of the child which was approved by the European Parliament and European Council in 2013.

I reiterate my thanks to the committee for its invitation. Work is continuing on the Department’s EU related activities and I will be happy to provide further information to the committee on any of these areas.