Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I share the view of Deputy Morgan that the work done by the organisations mentioned has an important role to play in active citizenship. When I was in the Department to which I referred, I worked with those organisations to ensure they were able to participate fully in community development.

There is a long list of key recommendations. I will refer briefly to them but can elaborate if the Deputy wishes. We will lay before the House a report on the status of the implementation of these reports very shortly. Participation in the democratic process was a key recommendation of the task force, one aspect of which was the establishment of an independent electoral commission. This would encourage all those eligible to register and vote through organisational voting, by time, for example, and there would be a publicity campaign with explanatory material on registering to vote and the process itself.

A number of things have happened. A Green Paper was issued by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and several very significant initiatives have been rolled out, most recently one under the aegis of the Ceann Comhairle, whereby research and education officers have gone into schools. Many of us have participated in those programmes in which transition year students, for the most part, have been involved in workshops on how the voting register is compiled and examining the basis of participation in our democracy. From the number of schools I have visited in my constituency, I highly recommend that initiative as worthwhile.

Some weeks ago I had the pleasure of announcing modules for another initiative at the curriculum development unit in Dublin. That unit is working with the Department of Education and Science to prepare programmes for students up to transition year in order that they will understand better the functioning of our democracy and issues around social justice and participation. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is working on a pilot project for post-junior certificate students and I look forward to that being rolled out, with the potential for politics to be developed as an examination subject at a future date.

Deputy Morgan raised the matter of the audit of community facilities. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in conjunction with the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, is conducting an audit of those facilities which is expected to be completed at the end of this year. That will give us a good indication of what facilities are available in every community throughout Ireland.

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