Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together.

The task force on active citizenship has held four plenary meetings since its appointment. The last meeting took place on 26 October last and the next meeting is scheduled for 30 November. In addition, the task force has set up five sub-groups which meet on a regular basis and are consulting organisations in different sectors.

The task force has also engaged in a major public consultation exercise and has circulated over 14,000 copies of its consultation document to individuals and organisations across the country, as well as seeking submissions through its website. The written consultation process began in July and over 1,000 submissions have been received. As part of this process, the task force hosted regional consultation seminars around the country. I attended the first of these on 14 September in Croke Park. The aim of these regional seminars was to explain the work of the task force and hear the views and ideas of individuals and groups on active citizenship in Ireland today. More than 300 people attended the meeting in Dublin. Subsequent seminars have been held in Monaghan, Sligo, Galway, Cork and Tullamore, all of which have been well attended.

The task force's work programme also included specific consultation exercises to get the views of young people and a survey has been commissioned from the ESRI. The Forum on Europe organised a plenary session on the subject of active citizenship in mid-October. In recent months, the chairperson and members of the task force have been meeting a range of interested individuals and groups around the country.

The efforts of the task force have stimulated a wide-ranging debate on the issue of active citizenship and this, in itself, is an important outcome. The results of this consultation process will inform the final report of the task force, which the Government hopes to receive next year.

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