John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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48. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made in developing a national volunteering strategy; the consultative process involved; the timeframe for developing such a strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2896/19]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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My Department is currently in the process of developing a national strategy on volunteering in consultation with all stakeholders.

A Call for Input (CFI) paper was launched in December 2018, as a first step in the development of this strategy. The CFI has been circulated to a wide range of stakeholders and is also posted on my Department's website . This paper is designed to inform stakeholders about the proposed development of the strategy, to seek their views on what constitutes volunteering and what the strategy should contain.

Submissions on the matter are requested to be returned to my Department by 14 February 2019, following which they will be collated and fully considered in order to inform the development of the draft strategy.

As part of the consultative process, it is also proposed to establish a National Advisory Group on Volunteering, representative of all stakeholders, to provide further input into the development of the draft strategy.

It is envisaged that the draft Strategy on Volunteering will be completed before the end of this year, following which there will be a further opportunity for the public to input on the matter before the strategy is presented to Government for approval.