Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

This country is not unique in terms of the issue of active citizenship. However, we are unique in that we have been lucky, throughout the ages, in having people who give an enormous amount of their time to a wide range of organisations. People are still doing that in large numbers and it is important to maintain that involvement. Those involved in youth, sport and recreational organisations and scouting movements say that it is getting harder to attract volunteers, for a variety of reasons. The task force will undertake an examination of what can be done, how best to maintain that tradition and how to build upon it. There are many successful organisations which continue to enjoy success.

Considerable State resources are invested in organisations and bodies involved in a host of areas. However, the issue is not just about money, it is about encouraging volunteering and getting people to give some of their time. A great proportion of the population are very generous with their time but some, for one reason or other, are not. One cannot generalise about that because some people have legitimate reasons, while others do not. We are trying to encourage participation and to foster best practice.

Many good reports have been published on this area. Over the past year a small group in my Department have been gathering the research on the issue and have made it available to Ms Davis and her committee. We hope to be able to chart out the actions that can be taken here. Almost everyone on the committee has been involved in this area, some for 20 to 40 years. Some have been involved in organisations that have been active in the area since the foundation of the State, if not earlier. The group is a serious one which will engage with many other groups. It will be a useful exercise for the future and will be useful for State agencies and Departments, which will be able to work on the principles outlined by the task force. This will ensure that we can continue to support communities and voluntary activities in future.

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