Seán Power
Ceist:204 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the Government's plans to celebrate the United Nations International Year of Volunteers in 2001. [17070/00]
Written Answers. - International Year of Volunteers.
Trevor Sargent
Ceist:212 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the structures his Department has or will have in place this year before the United Nations International Year of Volunteers commences in 2001; and if he will meet or otherwise respond favourably to the suggestions from the Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups based at North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7 on the way in which this important issue can be usefully publicised to address the alarming decline in the number of people coming forward as volunteers in society currently and to reverse this trend. [17220/00]
Conor Lenihan
Ceist:214 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs to make a statement on the membership and composition of the committee he has promised to set up to mark the UN year of volunteers. [17349/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 204, 212 and 214 together.
The General Assembly of the United Nations has proclaimed 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, known as IYV 2001. The year is designed to enhance recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteer service. The intended outcomes of the year are that more needs be identified with which volunteers can help; that more people everywhere offer their services as volunteers; and that volunteer programmes receive increased resources and facilities, to help them assign those new volunteers to tackling the needs.
In such a year all can gain. Individuals can find a renewed sense of purpose. Volunteer groups can be reinvigorated. Governments and the non-profit and private sectors can enter into fresh partnerships to make for greater participation, alleviate problems and promote good governance.
The UN Year of the Volunteer will provide a focus for activity to support volunteering. The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides that a national committee on volunteering will be established, with participation from relevant interests, which will devise strategies and actions for supporting and developing volunteering. The committee will devise strategies and actions for supporting and developing volunteering, not just during the international year, but for the longer term.
I will shortly be bringing proposals to Government regarding the setting up of this committee and issues of structures, staffing and finance will be examined as part of this process. I know that various organisations involved in volunteering have already met to discuss how to make the most of IYV 2001. A number of organisations have already made submissions to my Department in
relation to IYV 2001. All these submissions, including the one from the Carmichael Centre for voluntary groups, will be made available to the national committee on volunteering to assist it in its work.