I am glad to be able to propose the Youth Work Bill, 2000, to Seanad Éireann. Since my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for youth affairs, I have given priority to the Bill. Today, Seanad Éireann has the opportunity to debate this ground-breaking legislation aimed at giving a sound framework to the provision, co-ordination, monitoring, evaluation and development of youth work programmes and services.
The Bill is the end result of many years of effort entailing detailed research, consultation and discussion among everybody interested in youth work. It is the culmination of an extensive consultation process. The report of the national youth policy committee, which was chaired by Mr. Justice Declan Costello, issued in September 1984, was the first important document on youth work in Ireland. It was followed in 1993 by a report by the consultative group on the development of youth work which made a number of recommendations on the development of youth work provision, particularly as regards definitions, underlying principles, characteristics of youth work, evaluation and youth work structures. Much of what is contained in the Bill draws to a significant degree on the consultative group's report.
It may be recalled that the previous Administration was responsible for the Youth Work Act, 1997, which was a follow-up to the consulta tive group's report. However, this was predicated on the establishment of education boards. After the change of Government in 1997 it was decided not to proceed with the establishment of education boards and, instead, base the local youth work provision with the vocational education committees. Accordingly, the Youth Work Act, 1997, had to be revisited when it became evident that a replacement Bill, rather than an amendment Bill, was required. This being the case, I began discussions with relevant youth work organisations and bodies in order to give them an opportunity to subscribe to the new Youth Work Bill, 2000. In addition, my officials and I met representatives of several of the interest groups. The submissions, meetings, etc., that formed part of my comprehensive and widespread consultative process fed into the legislation.
The Bill has a number of very important features. First, it gives a clear definition to youth work by defining it as being a "programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation and which is (a) complementary to their formal, academic or vocational education and training, and (b) provided primarily by Voluntary Youth Work organisations." This definition was arrived at after exhaustive consultation and because of this, has met with general acceptance.
The proposed legislation outlines in comprehensive detail the youth work functions of the Minister. These include responsibility for the development and co-ordination of youth work policies, programmes and services; co-ordination with education and other programmes; research; monitoring and assessment of youth work programmes and services; gender issues; particular regard for those aged ten to 21 years of age and those socially or economically disadvantaged; directions on the manner of youth work; joint action by two or more vocational education committees and the establishment of a national youth work advisory committee. As I have already mentioned, these functions are comprehensive and detailed.
I have already stated that it was decided not to proceed with the establishment of education boards. Because of this, it was decided that the appropriate local body in the case of youth work would be the vocational education committee. Thus, vocational education committees will have a central and pivotal role to play at local level in the delivery of youth work programmes and services. The vocational education committees will have a number of functions.
A very important provision in the Bill is that relating to the appointment of an assessor of youth work. The Minister will be enabled to appoint such an assessor who will have a key role to play in the evaluation of youth work programmes and services on grounds of efficiency and effectiveness.
The Bill also provides for the appointment by the Minister of a national youth work advisory committee. This committee, which will have equal representation from the statutory and voluntary youth work areas with an independent chairman, will primarily have an advisory role to the Minister in terms of youth work provision, development of policies, establishment of criteria for the approval of various designations of youth work organisations, etc. It will, therefore, be the major independent source of advice for the Minister on youth work matters and, accordingly, is of crucial importance. Such a committee was established under the provisions of the Youth Work Act, 1997, and continues to operate.
At this point I express my appreciation of the work the present committee has done and the continuing advice it is giving to me on matters relative to youth work. At my request, it is in the process of finalising a national youth work development plan which will chart the way forward for youth work over the next five years or so. I understand this plan is nearing finality and look forward to receiving it. Again, I extend my thanks to the committee members who have given selflessly of their time and expertise towards delivering this plan.
An important aspect of the legislation will be the creation of VEC sub-committees described as youth work committees. These committees will have equal representation from statutory and voluntary youth work organisations. Their main purpose will be to advise and make recommendations to the vocational education committees on matters relating to youth work provision in their respective administration areas. It is intended that the composition of the youth work committees will reflect the major players involved with youth work provision at local level. One half of the youth work committee will come from the voluntary sector and the Bill allows for the creation of voluntary youth councils to enable this to take place. Guidelines and regulations on elections may be issued by the Minister following consultation with the National Youth Work Advisory Committee. We will thus have a structure more responsive to the needs of local areas and closer to community interests.
What follows in the Bill relates to the categorisation of youth work organisations. First, there is the issue of prescribed national representative youth work organisations. As the National Youth Council of Ireland represents the majority of youth work organisations, I have named it in the legislation to be the prescribed national organisation. This situation will be reviewed every three years. Provision is made in the Bill for the Minister to grant authorised organisation status to organisations which might from time to time engage in the provision of a youth work programme or service.
The third category is that of approved national youth work organisation. This refers to national youth work organisations such as Fóroige, the National Youth Federation, etc., grant-aided by my Department. The last category refers to desig nated local youth work organisations where the power of designation is entrusted to the vocational education committees.
The resource allocation function exercised centrally by the Department in regard to local and regional youth work programmes and services will, therefore, be devolved from the Department of Education and Science to the vocational education committees. As a result, not alone will decision making take place at the more appropriate local level, but the Department will be freed up sufficiently to enable it to concentrate more closely on vital issues such as national policy formulation, overall planning and development, assessment of performance, financial management, quality assurance and the national distribution of funding. This will be in full accordance with precedents of devolution in other European countries, most notably, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, many of which had previously, like ourselves, a tradition of highly centralised control of all aspects of the education system.
The Bill also underpins the primacy of the volunteer in youth work. The most significant way in which the Bill will do this is through the establishment of voluntary youth councils of volunteer youth leaders throughout the country. These councils will have several crucial functions, including the power to nominate 50% of the members of each vocational area youth work committee, the duty of advising the relevant vocational area in relation to its youth work planning and the role of providing a forum for local voluntary youth work organisations. In this way, the Bill should help to ensure volunteerism will continue to flourish in the youth service. This is a major concern for me because volunteerism is the key to real success in the provision of youth work services.
In relation to the voluntary youth councils, among the innovative provisions of the Bill are that at least one fifth of the membership of each council will be set aside for volunteer youth leaders under the age of 25 years and that there will be special provision for volunteer youth leaders working with the Traveller community. Hence, the council will encourage youth participation and assist in the empowerment of the Traveller youth work sector.
In addition, the Bill does not neglect the all important issue of accountability in the expenditure of public money. Several of its provisions, especially the provisions regarding monitoring and assessment, afford a means of demonstrating the benefits and the value for money of youth work and ensuring public funds expended on youth work services are spent efficiently and effectively.
We have already discussed the Bill in the Lower House. During the Dáil debate I indicated my acceptance of various amendments proposed to give equal prominence to the issue of reports in Irish, persons living in Gaeltacht areas and representation on the youth work committee from Údarás na Gaeltachta where a vocational education committee functions in a Gaeltacht area and representation on voluntary youth councils. I also moved an amendment in order to distinguish the two groups to which particular regard should be given in relation to youth work requirements, that is, those aged between ten and 21 years and those socially or economically disadvantaged. This occurs in a number of places in the Bill.
I reconsidered the membership of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee. I was satisfied that as part of this review, the membership for the Irish Vocational Education Association should be increased from two to four. I have allowed also for a commensurate increase in regard to representation for voluntary youth work organisations. I also moved an amendment to section 19 to give greater clarity in relation to the working arrangements between vocational education committees and youth work committees. Furthermore, amendments to provide for the appointment of the chairperson and vice-chairperson by the youth work committee from among the VEC representatives were accepted.
In relation to youth work committees – section 20 – I moved an amendment to provide for additional nominations to the committee by the Ministers for Social, Community and Family Affairs and Tourism, Sport and Recreation. These additions will serve to enhance the activities of the youth work committees at local VEC level. I also undertook to reconsider the composition of voluntary youth councils as provided for in section 22. I am satisfied that as a result of this re-examination, the composition of the council, as I have advanced it in the Bill, strikes the right balance as to the representation between volunteers and paid youth workers.
The issue of ethnic groups was raised in regard to the voluntary youth councils – section 22(7) – and I promised to consider the matter further. On the basis of the advice I have received I am satisfied that any concerns on this issue may be addressed under the terms of the Equal Status Act, 2000, and do not, therefore, propose anything further on this matter.
Section 24 deals with the prescribed national representative youth work organisation. In this case, I moved an amendment on Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann to the effect of prescribing the National Youth Council of Ireland as the prescribed organisation. Such prescription will be subject to three year renewal periods.
Section 24 deals with the prescribed national representative youth work organisations. In this case, I moved an amendment on Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann to the effect of prescribing the National Youth Council of Ireland as the prescribed organisation. Such prescription will be subject to three year renewal periods. I did this as I was satisfied that the National Youth Council of Ireland represents the vast majority of youth work organisations in this country. This prescription has, of course, been welcomed by the NYCI.
I wish to direct the attention of the House to section 13(4) dealing with the categories of young persons to be catered for in the VEC development plan and to say that formal correction is required in section 13(4) (a) (iii) with the insertion of the words “young persons” before the words “who are living in a Gaeltacht area and or whose first language is Irish”. This correction arises from the need to clarify and remove any ambiguity in interpretations in the text of the amendments put forward in Dáil Éireann by Deputy Creed, which I accepted. I ask you, a Chathaoirligh, under Standing Order 121 to direct the Clerk to make this correction.
It will be apparent from what I have said in relation to amendments that I adopted an open mind on constructive amendments in Dáil Éireann. This is reflected in the amendments that I have accepted or proposed. I have been prepared to accept amendments where, for example, they have given greater clarity to the provisions of the Youth Work Bill, 2000. I am satisfied, therefore, that the Bill before the Seanad today adequately reflects the widespread consultative process resulting in the proper philosophy and structures for a modern youth work policy and provision in Ireland.
I commend this Bill to the House.