Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are very welcome to the committee today. I was not a scout. I have to put my hand up there. What really struck me in the presentation was the material on youth mental health. I advocate for mental health and campaign on mental health progression.

I know from involvement with the arts that using arts or community organisations can greatly strengthen their resolve. Young people can learn more about themselves and take care of their emotional well-being much better and improve their personal development. There is a blueprint already in the scout movement, which the witnesses have highlighted. While it may not have been highlighted in the past, I hope we will continue to speak more openly about mental health problems although there is still a stigma attached to them which we all have to try to combat. The scout movement seems to contribute to combatting it. Young people are growing up in a different way and with a different outlook from those of generations before theirs. That is a cultural change which has to be flagged but there is an opportunity to use that. The scout movement is probably aware of it but I am not. We need to do more to promote that type of education because the marketability of the scouts in respect of mental health is strong and young people will identify with that. Presentations to this committee show that cyberbullying starts at eight and nine years of age. That can be combatted. The committee might consider how to co-ordinate resources.

Have the scouts approached any mental health organisations to work as partners in a strategic way rather than in isolation to promote good mental health? While ensuring everybody's health and safety, is there any red tape that can be shed in respect of compliance that would free up the witnesses' time? Do the witnesses see fluctuations in the people joining the scouts when it has recruitment drives? We know that in a time of economic prosperity volunteerism drops. Does that happen in the scout movement? In a time of recession volunteerism goes up maybe because people have more free time.

Is there a big fluctuation between city and rural members? If there are fewer rural members we could tie the scouts into our work on rural regeneration.