Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

The Youth Work Bill came before this House as a result of effective lobbying by the youth work sector, including youth work providers throughout the country. The legislation represented an acknowledgement of the role of youth workers in rural and urban centres. It is now 2003, yet we are still awaiting the full implementation of the legislation through the VEC structures. It is imperative to establish those mechanisms now. I call on the Minister of State to use whatever resources are available to her to start the ball rolling.