Vol. 575 No. 3
200 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will report on the progress in the working of the Youth Work Act 2001; his plans and timescale for the further development of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28315/03]
The Youth Work Act 2001 was enacted on 1 December 2001 and provides a statutory basis for the development of youth work in Ireland. The Act followed on a widespread consultation process and 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 or regional youth work organisations.
It was never the intention that the Act would be implemented fully at once. Section 1 of the Act provides for sections to be commenced at different stages. To date, sections 2 to 18, inclusive, and 24 have been commenced. A sub-committee of the national youth work advisory committee has been established to make recommendations on the requirements necessary for the implementation of the various sections of the Act. This sub-committee comprises representatives of both statutory and voluntary sectors, as well as my Department. It will also be necessary for my Department to have further discussions with the IVEA-CEOs association and the National Youth Council of Ireland on various aspects of the Act. The implementation of further sections of the Act will also depend on the availability of the necessary resources.
