Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

It is interesting that everyone is getting excited about the activities of one weekend, given that many hoodlums are involved in such activities every weekend. I do not intend to roll it out in the education sector. Many things are being done to encourage volunteerism. Students are participating in such activities as part of the second level transition year programme. Steps are also being taken at third level, for example at Dublin Institute of Technology. Grants are allocated to voluntary bureaux and funding is made available to various groups under the Cohesion Fund by the city and county development boards. Many good things are happening. I accept that Deputy Rabbitte has a particular interest in a children's programme in his constituency. We are trying to encourage some activity in that regard and I hope we will have some success. It is necessary to take action in heavily populated areas where people feel they are not involved and are not participating. I refer, for example, to the pilot projects in Deputy Rabbitte's constituency and in two or three other areas, including Darndale. Many people in such communities are badly alienated. They are not getting involved in the good sporting and scouting clubs which are available to them. Rather than standing back, we should try to get such people involved in activities of that nature, but it will not happen automatically. We have to work hard in the area of active citizenship. I am not sure whether we should take action in schools, but we should take action in communities where high levels of difficulties are found. If we try to embrace such communities, we will be able to change the way they are. Deputy Rabbitte and I are familiar with the communities to which I refer. It is not easy to bring about change in such areas. Steps have to be taken over the course of a year or two. Much of the good work that is being done involves giving grants to sporting and other organisations so they can employ full-time workers in communities to interact with local people.

See this speech in context