Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for not being here earlier but I was at an earlier meeting. I managed to catch bits of the presentation. I have read the statement and one thing jumped off the page, namely, the life-sharing ethos. I know that means a lot to Camphill and it means a lot to us too.

Many groups have taken on the challenges in regard to people with intellectual disabilities, long before the health services have done so. Groups like Camphill Communities of Ireland have been working in every little town here.

Sadly, as the report presented here states, volunteerism is diminishing. While it is not diminishing in every area, the problem is significant in high dependency areas like Camphill's, where people face challenging issues. Also, because of all the rules and regulations that have been introduced for those working with people, volunteers do not find it as easy to volunteer as they did in the past. This probably adds to the decrease in the numbers of volunteers.

I wish to thank Camphill Communities of Ireland. I have visited a number of groups around the country that like, Camphill communities, have a spiritual ethos about them also. This ethos is very much part of how we look at our lives and at individuals who have learning difficulties or mental illness. I thank Camphill communities for what they do in that regard. The Chairman spoke about funding and I will discuss that with him after this meeting. Again, I apologise for coming late to this meeting, but I was otherwise delayed.