Neither the present Government nor its predecessors has recognised the usefulness of youth work, which involves intervention to help children who leave school early and have domestic problems. They may have been bullied, suffer from depression and may even have suicidal tendencies. Children who feel isolated and marginalised need to be helped through the holistic approach of youth work. Such intervention can prevent many problems, such as solvent and drug abuse, suicide, non-violent and violent crime, mental illness and apathy among young people. These are matters which we will continue to debate in the House. Sometimes we may be angry with young people's attitudes, but many of them feel they are unable to participate in a society which provides them with no useful role. If youth workers are provided with the proper mechanisms, they can begin to make progress in this regard.

Preventative action is needed by the Legislature to avoid our taking a solely reactive stance to social difficulties, including violent crime and over indulgence in alcohol. We should become proactive by providing solutions, rather than wondering what has gone wrong.

Voluntary work is on the decline, not because people are becoming more selfish, but because they have less time in modern society. We do not have sufficient voluntary groups because parents cannot give their free time to youth clubs due to work commitments, longer commuting periods and other factors. We will have to introduce an effective, professional youth structure within which youth workers will be paid for their services. We must take this matter seriously and demonstrate that we are willing to work with young people. In that way, society will reap the rewards and will be able to move forward.

We should seek the creation of a department of youth affairs to concentrate on that large segment of the community below 25 years of age. Intervention during young people's formative years can help them to avoid taking the wrong road in life. I appreciate the Minister's presence in the House and I know her heart is in the right place concerning youth work. Hopefully, we will be able to make progress on this matter.

The strength of the Act lies in the fact that there has been such widespread consultation. Rather than taking a top-down approach to the matter, we tried to elicit from individuals and groups already involved in youth work what the immediate issues were, before addressing them in a practical way. The Act defines the functions of the Minister in the provision of a youth work programme or service, including the development, co-ordination and assessment of youth work programmes and services. It also defines the functions of vocational education committees regarding youth work, the role of the assessor of youth work, the composition and functions of the national youth work advisory committee. It further provides for the establishment of a youth work committee and local voluntary youth councils for each VEC area as well as the preparation by each VEC of a three year development plan for its administrative area.

It was never the intention that the Act would be implemented in one fell swoop; on the contrary, section 1 provides for sections to be commenced at various stages. To date, sections 2 to 7, inclusive, 17, 18 and 24 have been commenced.

Sections 17 and 18 provide for the establishment of a new national youth work advisory committee, NYWAC. This is a key provision of the Act. The committee was appointed on 22 April 2002 and is made up equally of representatives from voluntary youth work organisations and statutory authorities. In addition to the Department, the committee is providing advice for me on an ongoing basis on relevant aspects of the Act and I have ongoing contact with it. It is an extremely hard working body. Its views are very representative and useful.

A sub-committee was established to make recommendations on the requirements necessary for implementation of the various sections of the Act. It comprises representatives of both statutory and voluntary sectors, as well as the Department. Two reports prepared by it and approved by the NYWAC on the first two areas of action necessary to put in place the arrangements for the designation of local youth work organisations and the establishment of local voluntary youth councils were recently furnished to me and I have approved them in principle. It is intended to have them circulated to the appropriate interest groups.

The sub-committee's work is continuing while work on the criteria for the approval of national youth work organisations is nearing completion. The sub-committee will continue to report to the NYWAC on this and other aspects of the implementation process of the Act. Furthermore, the Department will, as appropriate and necessary, hold further discussions with statutory and voluntary youth work interests such as the IVEA, the chief executive officer association and the major national youth work organisations.

I am firmly of the belief that it is highly desirable, if not essential, to have agreement between all the interested parties in order that implementation of the Act can take place in a logical and structured manner. When the discussions are complete, it will be necessary to consult the Minister for Finance as to the human and financial resources required for the implementation of further sections of the Act.

I have listened carefully to the Senator's contribution and agree with much of what he said. He spoke, in particular, about young people in disadvantaged areas and the need to ensure the Act was implemented as quickly as possible in order that appropriate intervention could take place. This would ensure less crime and fewer health problems among young people and promote inclusiveness. I agree with the Senator's views on the importance of voluntary work. We should praise and recognise those who give of their time to voluntary activities despite the many calls on them. They do the State and young people, in particular, a great service. I do not agree, however, with the Senator's request that a specific Department for youth affairs be set up. It is a very specific issue which needs particular attention and in respect of which the Government has allocated responsibility to a Minister of State. This puts a definite emphasis on the need for particular attention to be paid to this sector of society. I hope to do my best in that regard.