Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

That is being rolled out. Several other pilot projects are being developed with regard to the use of schools after hours and funding has been made available through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with the help of partnerships and Leader companies to examine what best use can be made of that facility.

The cost of insurance and insurance cover, a grey area, was often a concern for all of us who were involved in community affairs. Again with the help of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the voluntary associations have managed to get a policy to cover this at a fairly modest cost.

Another area recommended in the task force report was an examination of how the third level sector might be encouraged to become involved, by recognising volunteering. Universities and institutes of technology have initiated pilot projects in areas such as awards for participation in voluntary organisations associated with the community sector. The area of volunteering, which is only one part of active citizenship, is also being developed through the development of volunteer centres, and Volunteering Ireland and other organisations have been involved. There are a number of initiatives in the business area, for example, Give It a Swirl and Get to Know Your Neighbour, that are promoted by some companies as part of their corporate social responsibility function.

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