Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach the progress made to date by the task force on active citizenship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28250/06]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach when the new task force on active citizenship last met; and when he expects the next meeting to take place. [29225/06]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 3: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the task force on active citizenship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30667/06]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach when the task force on active citizenship last met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30788/06]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the task force on active citizenship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34473/06]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Does the Taoiseach recall the Green Paper of 1997 and the White Paper of 2000 on supporting voluntary activity? How does the current task force exercise differ from the work teased through in these papers? Is the Taoiseach suggesting the conclusions of the White Paper are being implemented inadequately? Why is it necessary to go through this process again?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I was very involved in the development of the White Paper and the process was managed by a former Deputy and Minister of State, Chris Flood. It was a far more limited exercise than the task force. It related to community activism and involvement and it did useful work. I received the final report and most of the recommendations have been implemented and funded.

Regarding progress made in implementing the recommendations of the White Paper on voluntary activity, more than €5.48 million over three years was allocated to the funding scheme to support federations, networks and umbrella bodies — the kinds of groups at which the White Paper was aimed. If one was not involved in such a group, one would not benefit as it did not extend to the wider community. A sum of €1.83 million was provided to fund a scheme for training and support in the community and voluntary sector. Both of these schemes, under the White Paper, were committed to supporting voluntary activities and a range of grants, running to millions of euro, were paid out through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The White Paper made significant progress in promoting volunteerism, encouraging corporate responsibility and beginning the process of philanthropy. It covered a range of bodies but nothing like the Taskforce on Active Citizenship for those active in community development associations. I pointed out at the time that if all the activities occurred during the day, a great deal of involvement would be lost because this would favour only full-time activists.

The broad principles of the White Paper remain and it is appropriate that the mechanism for addressing these be adjusted to appropriately reflect wider developments and structural changes. Everything in the White Paper was of benefit but it focussed largely on community activity and full-time activity which is not what active citizenship is about.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Does the Taoiseach know how many submissions the Taskforce on Active Citizenship has received? How does it intend to proceed and when will it report? In terms of what the Taoiseach said on the difference between voluntary activity and active citizenship, would he agree that the main impediment to active citizenship is the modern lifestyle and demands on people's lives? The poor delivery of public services, for example, may see a person caught on the West-Link toll bridge for an hour and 20 minutes twice a day and he or she will not have much time to train the under 11s team. Inadequate public services — poor public transport and so on — are the real restriction on people's freedom.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should ask a question.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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In asking the Taoiseach if he agreed with me, I was using a form of generic introduction to the questions I am putting to him. Are inadequate public services not the most serious impediment to active citizenship?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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More than 1,000 submissions have been made to date, most of them from national organisations such as sporting and community bodies as well as individuals. It may be worth quoting again the four terms of reference of the task force. The first is to "review the evidence regarding trends in citizen participation across the main areas of civic, community, cultural, occupational and recreational life in Ireland". It has, therefore, a very broad remit. The second is to "examine those trends in the context of international experience and analysis". Plenty of these kinds of studies have been done in most developed countries. The third is to "review the experience of organisations involved in the political, caring, community, professional and occupational, cultural, sporting and religious dimensions of Irish life regarding influences, both positive and negative, on levels of citizen participation and engagement". The final one is to "recommend measures which could be taken as part of public policy to facilitate and encourage (i) a greater degree of engagement by citizens in all aspects of Irish life and (ii) the growth and development of voluntary organisations as part of a strong civic culture".

In the course of its work, the task force has been consulting individuals and organisations throughout the country at every level, from large business to people who deal with the most marginalised in society, to find out their experiences and the influences they believe would help shape citizens' participation and engagement. The task force hopes to report next year, although I am not sure when it will do so. Rather than imposing a time limit, it is more important that the exercise is done fully and completely so that the report comes up with recommendations that we can all take forward.

I have no doubt that under the terms of reference all of the kinds of issues the Deputy mentioned and many more will come forward. That will shape what we have to do to deal with the issues of the future.

There are pluses and minuses involved. More and more workplaces are scheduling working time into four day and 39 hour weeks, as against what used to be the case in the past when we had 40 and 50 hour weeks. All the other issues that are pluses and minuses, including traffic and the fact people are working rather than unemployed, will, I am sure, be reflected in the final report. More importantly, it will include recommendations that we can take forward and will affect all the community, not just those who are involved in community-based organisations on a full-time basis or practically as a career.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I am trying to decipher the Taoiseach's reply. What does he mean by the phrase "recommendations that we can take forward"? As Deputy Rabbitte pointed out, since 2000 a number of attempts have been made to increase the level of volunteerism and active citizenship. They include the White Paper on Supporting Voluntary Activity published in 2000 and the Tipping the Balance report published in 2002 by the national committee on volunteering. Has an evaluation be done of the recommendations made in these two reports? If not, is it possible to carry out such an evaluation? Will the Taoiseach cite the recommendations from these reports which have been implemented? What has been the outcome of these efforts to date?

On a more specific matter, is the Taoiseach in a position to inform the task force on active citizenship, which includes among its membership many busy people, what the Government has done or will do to help fulfil one of the terms of reference he cited, namely, "to facilitate and encourage (i) a greater degree of engagement by citizens in all aspects of Irish life and (ii) the growth and development of voluntary organisations"? The terms of reference include facilitating and encouraging a greater degree of engagement by citizens and the growth and development of voluntary organisations. Will the Government indicate when the charities legislation will be published and implemented, given that it covers a huge proportion of voluntary activity? Registration will enable voluntary groups to demonstrate their bona fides to the public.

Will the Taoiseach tell the House when freedom of information legislation will be reviewed and the restrictions rolled back, given that it is another important aspect of active citizenship?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The charities legislation is an absolute priority. I checked yesterday and it is at an advanced stage. We hope it will be in the House early in the new year. Parliamentary counsel will work on it full time until Christmas.

The Indecon report does precisely what Deputy Sargent asked to advance the key principles of the White Paper on supporting voluntary activity, which came out of the work done by the group chaired by Chris Flood. That forms an important part of the information under consideration in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. There are vast sums of money going into what was ADM Limited, now Pobal. Millions are going into the sector in addition to what was put in five years ago, before this work started. It is a well funded and highly staffed area. One sector of it employs 800 or 900 people on a full-time basis, although they may be on contracts, but huge numbers work in the entire area.

There was a lot of talk after that of federations, networks, umbrella bodies and full-time work but that is not the broad sense of citizenship — people who are full time or working in community bodies — it is about the citizenship of the country. That is the model in other countries. Obviously, all issues of modern life would be included in any report. Circumstances and lifestyles change over time and this feeds into activity. Active citizens are involved in a broader range of projects than 20 years ago, with more organised activities and competitions taking place year-round. The position has changed. Some of the activities require funding and some do not, they simply require structures.

The Deputy asked what I meant by taking this forward. I asked the task force not to report on everything that happens but to make broad recommendations that we can implement to improve the sector. We know what happens but we need concrete proposals that we can implement to progress active citizenship.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I have a brief question based on what the Taoiseach said.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call Deputy Kenny.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I would not like to keep down Deputy Sargent with his brief question. This is an acceptable idea with a feel-good factor. On 14 September, when the Taoiseach spoke at the launch of the task force, he pointed out that there are now 160 nationalities living in the country from outside the jurisdiction and that Ireland is a country in transition, a process that will continue. From that point of view, however, no non-national was appointed to the task force and no ethnic groups from abroad are represented on it. That appears to contradict the Taoiseach's remarks that there are 160 nationalities here. Has the task force been given a remit to hold meetings exclusively with the different ethnic groups here from abroad who are and will continue to be part of our country? The mixes of the races in the next 25 years will bring about a very different change in Ireland again. The Taoiseach might deal with that.

The two most precious things people have now are probably time and good health. The other day at 6.15 a.m., I was in Lucan doing some work on traffic analysis, and the extent of goodwill from many thousands of people who wish to help in this whole business of creating strong community was palpable. It is being directly inhibited because of obstructions to the implementation of practical policies. Does the Taoiseach envisage different Departments, particularly the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, introducing measures to ease the pressure on people, which would have a parallel effect of giving them more time to involve themselves where they want to in the development of their communities, thereby creating better lifestyles?

I will give another example. I was in Swinford recently and I met cancer care people. They have collected €750,000 for a CAT scan facility. That involved fundraising walks, marathons and related activities. Does the Taoiseach see that people would expect these facilities to be provided by the State from taxpayers' revenue? The amount of time going into that operation, to use a pun, could otherwise be devoted to the overall development of the community.

In such a case, we could use people's precious time far more effectively in the interests of the elderly, frail, vulnerable, illiterate, innumerate and those who need help along the way from a very young age up. So much good could come out of this energy if it were to be harnessed in an overall and comprehensive way.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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There were two questions. The membership of the task force on active citizenship includes people from a range of diverse backgrounds. It was not feasible to be totally comprehensive in terms of representation from the different sectors. I stated that here in the House. There are literally hundreds of people who represent all kinds of groups who want to be on it. I am sure they would all be useful, but it just was not possible to include them all.

Many of the groups with members on the task force, including trade unions, the church, businesses and youth organisations, would themselves have many members from ethnic minorities. They pointed that out and were well able to convey their viewpoints. From the outset, the chairperson of the task force made it clear it would undertake an extensive consultation process which provided opportunities for contributions from all possible stakeholders. That process included a round table discussion with ethnic minorities groups, facilitated through the broad umbrella of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism. That has worked well, so it is being well represented.

Representatives from ethnic minorities also participated at the consultation seminars with the task force. This participation ensured the perspective of ethnic minorities is fully reflected in the deliberations of the task force. The whole question of integration is well covered.

Clearly there are people caught up in the pressures of life, including traffic moving to and from work. Perhaps a proportion of those would help if they had that time at their disposal. As public services and public transport improve, I hope it will have an effect. I have not noticed to date any significant change in the areas that do not have difficulties. What tends to happen in active citizenship is that people who are busy, attracted to doing their bit for their community, such as for organisations like Active Age, will do it. It is not affected by what happens in their working day. It seems busy people will make the time no matter how they operate.

If a person is not in traffic or commuting long distances, that person will have more time. The logic is that there should then be more time to be engaged in other pursuits. That is a valid and fair point. People are starting and finishing earlier. It is quieter earlier in the evenings. The cycle of life has changed massively from what it was a decade or even five years ago. Facilitating people getting from A to B and back in the evenings allows people to give some of their spare time. So many people are on the roads because they are actively engaged in the economy and in educational service. There is a noticeable difference when the schools are on holidays. One of the reasons is there are 1.3 million people involved in the education system.

There is no doubt about the good work undertaken by the many organisations which raise so much money for so many different charities. This is active citizenship and it is a good thing in itself. The State spends significant amounts on capital expenditure items. It is not a bad thing that in some areas these issues are raised through the good work done by groups because it will never be the case that the State will be able to afford to fund every single facility. People always strive for a higher standard and better equipment and it will not always be possible for the State to provide this everywhere. People will always put in the effort to do it themselves. I do not think such active engagement will ever cease and it can be regarded as active citizenship in its own right.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Given that it is presumed that one must be a citizen in order to be an active citizen, is the Taoiseach aware it is taking up to two years for applications for citizenship to be processed in this jurisdiction and that this compares with a period of some five months in the neighbouring island and just over 12 months in Canada and France——

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I suggest a question to the line Minister. I do not think it arises out of these particular questions. The Deputy is expanding it into the remit of another Minister.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thought it would. These are members of our society. I ask the Taoiseach whether he agrees——

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should ask a question on the task force on active citizenship.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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My question relates to the task force on active citizenship. Would the Taoiseach agree that the people to whom I have referred would play an important and useful role in society if given the opportunity? Will the Taoiseach introduce any measures to speed up that processing system?

Has the Taoiseach noted that the task force points out in its consultation paper that being an active citizen includes civic participation such as voting in elections? Has he noted the voter turnout in general elections over the years and specifically from 1987 with a turnout of 73%, 68% in 1997 and only 62% on the last occasion?

Does the Taoiseach see a role for the task force in encouraging voter participation and the active participation of citizens in all electoral endeavours, including in the run up to the general election next year?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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On the first issue, vast resources have been devoted to helping the process. There are literally hundreds of people working in the process of examining and expediting applications for citizenship. Other countries have different processes for citizenship and they do not have the same appeals system which can include re-appeals and High Court injunctions. The Australian system is very effective and it does not have a waiting list. Persons who enter Australia illegally are thrown out so the system is always up to date and it is a very simple operation. Our system is far more humane and it seems at times that people are allowed appeal endlessly. It operates in a manner based on fairness, human rights and the Geneva Convention. I do not think we should compare ourselves with other countries. Major effort and resources are being put in to expedite the system so that people are not unduly delayed or frustrated in their applications. While there are problems — we all deal with them on behalf of people — the system is much better than it was.

The question of people exercising their democratic franchise is an issue of active citizenship and it has been raised in the plenary sessions and working groups. If people are involved, committed and interested, then they will have a greater stake in society and will be more inclined to vote. While I do not know what the task force will report on this, I feel it is a related issue. In other European countries and elsewhere there has been evidence of disengagement. People have withdrawn from community and resident activities. They have withdrawn from health, bridge, sports and recreational clubs. The same trend is influencing voting. The more people engage and involve themselves with society, the more it will help to increase voting participation. That is the theory anyway, but we will see what the working group has to say later next year.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Does the Taoiseach appreciate how frustrating it would be for someone involved in a voluntary group to hear him say that the sector is well staffed? The Remember Us group in my area is an organisation comprising 70 families with children with intellectual disabilities. It has depended entirely on voluntarism since 1998. For the sake of one administrator, those volunteers have been burning out year by year to the point where the organisation itself is endangered.

The Taoiseach was associated with the Special Olympics organisation and knows it well. It has been left high and dry following the withdrawal of six people seconded to it from the Bank of Ireland.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should put a question to the Taoiseach.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Those volunteer trainers are gone. Does the Taoiseach not realise that there is a need for the staffing to which he refers to be targeted in a way that protects the bedrock of remaining volunteers? They should be supported in a tangible way. Is there any way that those organisations can appeal to what he called a well staffed sector so that staffing can be more targeted? These staff would hopefully be productively used to ensure that those organisations do not go to the wall. That is a real risk——

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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As with Deputy Ó Caoláin's, the Deputy's questions would be better put to the line Minister.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I agree with the Ceann Comhairle. I would not have raised this had the Taoiseach not said that the sector was well staffed. I felt I had to respond to that.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is either misrepresenting me or was not listening to me. I gave one example of a single sector that had approximately 800 people working in it. I am not saying they are not needed or that they are not under pressure. Under the White Paper on voluntary activity, we have moved to put substantial resources into pay for individuals working full-time in the sectors. That is not to say that some sectors are not hard pressed — of course they are. Some sectors are entirely run by volunteers even on a full-time basis. Many of the health organisations do not have full-time staff, even though they operate on a full-time basis. There are people manning telephones and doing clerical work etc. This is a very good example of active citizenship. Substantial funds, running to millions of euro, have been allocated to a large range of organisations in the voluntary community sector. These funds often go to fund full-time staff.

One could say those resources can be switched around. To deal with this, the organisation would have to contact the relevant Minister and Department. This highlights why we need more active citizenship and more people to become involved in these areas.

As the Deputy said, many professional people give their spare time to help organisations which work with autism, disabilities and people who are suicidal or have been raped. A large number of professional people give their time voluntarily in organisations. I meet many of these groups, as I am sure does Deputy Sargent. I do not mean to take from the fact that we are putting large sums of resources into national, regional and local organisations.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Will the Taoiseach respond to——

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is a difficult job.