Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will deal briefly with the questions. The first issue is not a matter for me as it relates to a community workshop which has an ongoing issue about funding with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív. I have done some work to try to assist in that but it is a matter for the Estimates.

When we announced the task force on active citizenship we asked for submissions from people outlining their views on the terms of reference and seeking initiatives on how best the task force could function and what issues could be addressed. The reason we did so was the huge range of issues involved and the large number of requests received from people seeking an input into how the issue could best be handled and requesting that the work of the task force be based on a White Paper on the community drawn up some years ago by a committee chaired by former Deputy Chris Flood. Parts of the White Paper in question are being implemented and it was considered that a task force was required to examine this issue. It is hoped the task force will commence work at the beginning of the new year and conclude in September.

To make way for the work of the task force, three things happened. The secretariat in my Department worked with a number of organisations on the terms of reference and used material from NESC and the ESRI to provide a framework for the work of the task force. That would ensure it would not attempt to examine a whole host of ideas from several hundred organisations but that there would at least be a framework allowing it to make progress in its work.

The Deputy mentioned the White Paper, which was published, and there are studies from the ESRI and NESC, with many other very good submissions from numerous organisations. The secretariat has put all that together in a meaningful fashion. It covers such a broad range that it was necessary to put that work in place. Otherwise, a new group would have operated in the dark. Even if they were not in the dark regarding their own knowledge, it would have taken them a long time to proceed. I hope that, after those preparations, work will start formally in January and will finish by autumn next year.

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