Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress made to date in 2005 in the implementation of the national youth work development plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39560/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The national youth work development plan, together with the Youth Work Act 2001, provides a framework for youth work in Ireland. The plan identifies four main goals and proposes some 50 action points to achieve these goals over a five year period. To date a number of priority action areas have been addressed, including the implementation of a child protection training programme for the sector, development of projects funded under the special projects for youth scheme and increased support to youth information centres and the youth information support partnership.

With regard to 2005, significant progress has been made this year in the progressive roll out of the actions recommended in the plan, including the establishment of ten new special projects for youth and the upgrade of 20 single worker special projects to two worker projects. In this regard, an additional amount of €920,000 has been spent on the expansion and development of this scheme which includes in its remit some of our most marginalised and vulnerable young people. This additional funding will serve to enhance the delivery of services at local level and will particularly benefit those young people who are socially or economically disadvantaged.

Furthermore in 2005, I established a development fund for youth work organisations to prepare themselves organisationally for the roll out of the Youth Work Act 2001. This fund focused on resourcing and developing the information and communications technology of youth work organisations, with some 30 organisations receiving grants of up to €15,000 each to support their work.

Another important area for development this year has been the enhanced support of the national child protection training programme for the youth work sector. A national child protection unit, which is housed within the National Youth Council of Ireland and is supported by my Department, has led and co-ordinated child protection training initiatives and assisted many youth organisations with the drafting of child protection policies and guidelines. Also, as proposed in the plan, a North-South endorsement panel for youth work training has been established. The purpose of this panel, which has been set up following agreement between the relevant parties in both jurisdictions, is to develop a comprehensive framework for accreditation and certification in youth work on an all-Ireland basis.

In addition, two major reviews, as recommended in the plan, were commenced this year and are nearing completion. These are a review of youth information provision and a review of funding of the youth work sector. I am also arranging for the establishment of a national youth work development unit, to be based within the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. This unit will work in conjunction with national youth work advisory committee and my Department and will spear head youth research and development in Ireland. The establishment of this unit will also pave the way for a number of further actions in the plan.

With regard to the appointment of an assessor of youth work, this post is being advertised today in the national press. The appointment of an assessor is a key priority for the sector and I anticipate a speedy appointment. I am confident that the progress made in the implementation of the actions recommended in the national youth work development plan will continue in 2006 and 2007.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to the Youth Work Act 2001, her progress to date in 2005 in implementing the Act; the sections that have been implemented to date in 2005; the sections which remain unimplemented; her plans to bring the remaining unimplemented sections into force; the timescale of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39594/05]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her progress to date in 2005 in the implementation of the national youth work development plan; if the plan has been implemented in its entirety; if not, what remains to be implemented; the timescale of same; if she intends to progress the national youth work development plan in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39595/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 31 together.

The Youth Work Act 2001 provides a legal framework for the provision of youth work programmes and services to be organised by the Minister for Education and Science, the vocational education committees and national and regional youth work organisations. Section 1 of the Act provides for sections to be commenced at different stages. Sections 2-7, 17, 18 and 24 have been commenced to date.

A sub-committee of the national youth work advisory committee, representative of both statutory and voluntary sectors as well as my Department, has been steadily progressing the groundwork, including the development of detailed guidelines and procedures, which are vital for the further roll out of the Act in a planned and structured manner. As a priority for 2005, I identified the capacity development of youth work organisations to assist them in preparing themselves organisationally for the implementation of the Act. To this end, I established a development fund for youth work organisations on a once-off basis to help ensure that they can achieve the new standards for approval and engage effectively with the new structures arising from the Youth Work Act 2001. Some 30 youth organisations have received once-off grants this year ranging up to €15,000 to help develop their ICT capacity. Over €300,000 has been provided for this fund in 2005.

Another area for priority attention in 2005 was the capacity development of vocational education committees, VECs, to carry out their responsibilities as set out in the Act. Considerable progress has been made in this regard and this is a most important development which will enable VECs to assume specific new responsibilities, including the provision of youth work programmes and/or services in their areas by co-ordinating their plans, proposals and activities.

In addition, significant progress has been made with regard to the appointment of an assessor of youth work with the advertisement of the post today in the national press. This is viewed by all involved in youth work, both in the statutory and voluntary sectors, as an essential step in the process of the further implementation of the Act. Work in this regard will continue, with further sections of the Act being implemented as the necessary procedures are finalised and as resources, both human and financial, permit.

With regard to the national youth work development plan, this plan identifies four main goals and proposes some 50 action points to achieve these goals over a five year period. To date a number of priority action areas have been addressed. In 2003, €80,000 was spent on the implementation of a child protection training programme for the sector. In 2004, €500,000 was made available for the roll out of the plan and was spent on further support for the child protection training programme, development of projects funded under the special projects for youth scheme and increased support to youth information centres and the youth information support partnership.

Building on these initiatives, to date in 2005 further progress has been made in the following areas: the establishment of ten new special projects for disadvantaged youth; the upgrade of 20 single worker special projects to two worker projects; review of youth work funding; review of youth information provision; continued support of the child protection training programme; establishment of a development fund for youth work organisations; North-South youth work training endorsement panel; establishment of national youth work development unit in NUI, Maynooth.

Further action areas for development in 2006 and 2007 are being determined by my Department with the advice of the national youth work advisory committee.