Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation and also for the extraordinary work that scouting does in communities throughout the island. The ratio of 35 staff to 12,000 volunteers and 50,000 members is incredible. I thank the witnesses personally because, as a youth member of the 37th Togher and an adult member of the 5th Cork, the Lough Scouts, I have benefited from the unique experience, training and education that scouting provides and experienced what it does for one's sense of confidence and leadership skills. I know exactly how valuable and empowering involvement in scouts is, as either a youth or adult member.

I will come back to the ratio of staff to volunteers. On a certain level it is a great positive. It is also a significant challenge for any organisation to try and manage that so many volunteers with that number of staff.

As Deputy Jan O'Sullivan said, there are areas where scouting is very, very strong. Cork would be one of those. However, there are parts of the country that probably have less coverage. I imagine that, because of the way it is structured, access to premises and getting people to become trustees are issues. Could the witnesses tell the committee what proportion of scouting groups operate without their own premises or premises to which they have permanent access? How many rely on community halls or GAA halls or places like that? I imagine it is a minority.

Changes in charity regulations have put a very significant onus on scouting groups up and down the country. If I understand it correctly, they have to register themselves as individual units. That is obviously a big undertaking for volunteers. How is Scouting Ireland responding to that? Do Scouting Ireland and other voluntary groups need further resources from the State to ensure that they are able to meet their obligations under the charities regulations?

I will be travelling to NIjam at Crawfordsburn Scout Centre this summer. There are very strong links between the North and the South. I am concerned that Brexit will be very difficult for an all-Ireland body such as Scouting Ireland, which has a good relationship with the Scout Association of the United Kingdom and the Northern Ireland Scout Council.

I support the two projects involving Scouting Ireland working with unaccompanied minors. There is work ongoing with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to bring over another category of unaccompanied minors from Calais. Members of the Oireachtas were pushing for about 200 but I think it is going to fall short of that. Has the Department engaged with Scouting Ireland on whether their programme can be expanded or whether another category of unaccompanied minors could be brought into that project?

Is Scouting Ireland considering expanding the Lelievelet project in Limerick to other places?

I have a few questions in terms of asks for the committee and things we can support. What is the current state of play in relation to Scouting Ireland's applications for capital funding for Larch Hill and Killaloe? The applications were made a number of years ago for those two very important projects. Second, there are 35 full-time staff to 12,000 voluntary staff and 50,000 members. It is a reflection of a very efficient organisation. However, is it adequate and is there a need for additional funding for Scouting Ireland from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs? Is it something the committee needs to push?