Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate Deputy English's comments. The terms of reference of the group are broadly to drive forward the recommendations of the task force on active citizenship. The steering group I have chosen will reflect a broad range of people who are active in a wide variety of activities. For example, the National Youth Council is represented. Mary Nally is involved and Deputy English well knows of her wide ranging involvement with older people. There is a representative from the philanthropic area, from business, from the GAA and from other organisations to try to pull together the various issues which arise in this debate. I emphasise the active citizenship office has a co-ordinating, facilitating and encouraging function, which is important.

Deputy English spoke about schools and school buses. As long as I have been involved in youth and community work and in politics, that issue has been around. There has been some progress in regard to the use of school buildings. It is not anywhere near what I would have liked but much more progress has been made. The rural transport scheme uses its buses for youth groups. However, I do not believe the issue of school buses has yet been cracked.

I was very anxious to address the issue of day-to-day running costs in the time I was in that Department. A staff team package is being made available through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to help with the management and day-to-day operations of community facilities and so on. It was intended that it would be initially in Leader company areas and in RAPID areas. I understand a number are being operated directly through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The Deputy talked about how we engage those who have dropped out of the formal education system. The civic forum, which many local authorities have developed over the years, is one way in which such people can become engaged. For example, Dublin City Council, the local authority I know best, has a good project primarily targeting those who have left school and the new Irish who would have had no engagement with the democratic process up to then. These initiatives are being developed.

I am a great believer in the bottom up approach. I do not want the Government telling people that something is good for them and, therefore, they must do it. Some great ideas have come from the ground up. There is also a cross-Border aspect. There is much engagement between areas in Belfast, Dublin and in the west. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, reminded me of other initiatives. He opened a community library in north Kildare yesterday. Every time I go out I see something new.

I was in Deputy Stanton's constituency a couple of weeks ago launching a tool kit for people involved in trying to further engage people with disabilities in active citizenship and volunteering. Much is being done, some of which is very much under-reported and not recognised. The latest research, although it is a while since it was conducted by the ESRI, shows a dramatic increase in the number of people getting involved in community activity. Believe it or not, one of the highest areas of engagement is in the non-Irish community, although perhaps it is to be expected. That is particularly the case in the universities which have registered with the volunteer centres to get involved in a range of areas. Last year I opened the centre in Kildare which is based in NUI, Maynooth. The volunteers involved in that particular project comprise 60 nationalities and I believe that is replicated in many others throughout the country.

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