Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I acknowledge that this important matter is being debated here, as I hope it will be at a future date in the lower House.

It is important to recognise the value of volunteerism in society and it might be helpful to remind all levels of officialdom that they also should value it. People can become smug in their jobs and can forget the workload and time that volunteers commit in the various activities in which they are involved around the country, in both rural and urban settings.

Volunteerism comes from the heart. It is a passion and a sense of belonging, and comes from the family or the community of those who participate. It is about pride and for that reason we often hear of competitions managed by local authorities, which are most welcome. What does that phrase "pride of place" mean? It means people living in their communities, having a sense of the environment in which they live, wanting to do something on a voluntary basis to improve that environment. Such pride of place is seen also in the involvement of organisations such as the Tidy Towns committees who do endless hours of work and give untold commitment to improving the environment of their towns and villages. We must acknowledge that at all levels. It is vital to have good interaction with voluntary organisations in order that when they deal with officialdom, whether the local area engineer on a council, or the relevant Department, the response they get is flexible, responsive and timely and that they are not frustrated. After all, these are volunteers and are not paid. They cannot wait all day at the end of a telephone line or wait for weeks for a letter of response. Responsiveness to volunteerism should come from the bottom up and the top down and I hope the Minister for State will take on board that point.

The great traditional organisations such as the GAA and the ICA were mentioned and I acknowledge the role they have played, especially in rural Ireland. Rural Ireland can become isolated and disconnected without those organisations, the parish committees and so on. Their activities and initiatives keep rural Ireland together and weld the social and cultural fabric of our society. That should be encouraged at all stages and all times.

I mentioned the individual volunteer. Time is the most important resource and it is a very scarce commodity in people's lives nowadays. Time is the essence and the blood of the volunteer. One might have the passion and the pride but if one does not have the time one cannot give it. Some people might love to give their time but due to the constraints of modern living they can no longer do so. Both parents in a family might be working, or might be working away from home. Time is the valuable commodity that must be acknowledged and all State agencies must respond and adapt to that.

School management boards around the country are comprised mainly of volunteers. I am aware of one school board of management that has had three resignations from a total of eight members. The three resigned in the past few weeks because of time constraints. That is an almost unbearable loss to the school and the whole community. These are people who bring valuable skills on a voluntary basis to a board of management for the benefit and general good of the pupils in that school and that community. We cannot neglect this matter and turn a blind eye to it. I see this instance as an alarm bell ringing. Good able people with valuable skill sets are resigning because they do not have time. We see the same happening in politics in the number of councillors who resign because they feel they do not have time to commit. There are messages here for all of us. The alarm bells are ringing and we must be able to respond in such a way that we can help people take on the workload, give their contributions and take full value of the skill sets they offer.

Volunteers on boards of management may experience frustration in their interactions with the Department of Education and Science. How many times might they be required to ring the Department in order to get a simple response? Sometimes it might take months to get a response and we must eliminate that type of frustration. The Minister of State has a responsibility and an obligation in his role to highlight this matter to the relevant Minister and Department and I hope he will hear this. We can lighten the load for the volunteers whom we value so much.

Why do individuals volunteer? What inspires them? Some people mentioned the tradition that might belong in an area. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on that any more. We all know towns and villages where there are many new residents but they do not engage with the cultural and social fabric of that village and so the tradition is dying out. Volunteers get involved for various reasons, often positive ones such as the pride they have in their place. They want to progress the district or the organisation to which they belong or they wish to develop their youth or the society or the circles in which they live. There are also negative reasons why volunteers come on board. It must be remembered that Government is obliged to provide for many areas of service. Unfortunately, in many of these, such as health and counselling services, or hospice work, people who find themselves in harsh predicaments end up volunteering to raise funds for services in their areas not supplied by Government. In my own constituency, the Waterford Hospice Association is out day and night fundraising to provide basic dignity for people who are ill. I believe the Government should help such people at every possible level.

What do volunteers seek? They look for very little and all they want is the satisfaction of having done something for their communities. They must be acknowledged and that is what we were doing here today. This should happen at every level because volunteers need support and assistance and they need delivery. When a well-thought out plan of a voluntary organisation is put in place the organisation needs help to deliver the plan. The most worthwhile thing for any volunteer is a sense of satisfaction and worth for having done something to benefit the community. We cannot underestimate and must never take for granted the time of the volunteer. We must never allow the burden to be left to the few or permit the willing horse to take most of the workload. Unfortunately, if one talks to people in any voluntary organisation or committee, they will often say that they are willing but that there are very few to help them. Renewal, recruitment, support and assistance are required from all levels. I ask the Minister of State to note that point.

Voluntary organisations support health initiatives. In my constituency, the South East Cancer Foundation offers a holistic counselling service for cancer patients. Its members fundraise and volunteer their time to help the patients and they need the assistance of the State. We must never forget the people on the front line in the rescue services, such as the Irish Red Cross, the Order of Malta, the part-time fire services and the Civil Defence. All those organisations have a voluntary element, including the mountain rescue groups and the sea and river rescue services. They all provide valuable contributions to their communities.

I hope the Minister of State will take away some of these messages. We can all play a role in supporting our volunteers.