Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2004
70 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science the areas of the Youth Work Act 2001 which have been implemented to date; the areas which have yet to be implemented; if a timetable has been set for the implementation of the outstanding sections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5256/04]
View answerThe Youth Work Act 2001, which was enacted on 1 December 2001, provides a statutory basis for the development of youth work. The Act followed 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 VECs and national and regional youth work organisations.
It was never intended 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 17, inclusive, 18 and 24 have been commenced. A sub-committee of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee was established to make recommendations on the requirements necessary for the implementation of the various sections of the Act. The sub-committee comprises representatives of both statutory and voluntary sectors, as well as my Department. The work of the sub-committee is ongoing and representatives from the National Youth Council of Ireland are carrying out preparatory work on sections 19, 20 and 25. It will 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 depend on the availability of the necessary resources.
