Madam, - Robin Wilson (Opinion & Analysis, September 6th) questions the Government's commitment to the support and development of social capital in this State. Some figures may provide context and balance.
The White Paper on supporting voluntary activity, published in 2000, estimated that the community and voluntary sector received €1.267 billion from a range of Government Departments and EU sources, clearly reflecting substantial support for the community and voluntary sector. Five years on, this level of support has been maintained and strengthened. My Department alone will spend around €200 million this year on support for community and rural affairs, including more than €4 million on direct grant supports for community and voluntary groups, about €28 million on support for community development and social inclusion projects, and some €23 million on the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.
Voluntary activity is accepted and supported by the State as a significant component of a healthy democratic society. Even in a growing economy where standards of living have and continue to improve, the Government believes volunteer activity is a necessary part of building and strengthening communities and of promoting the bonds between communities, the store of social capital that go to make up the nation.
In March I announced an interim €2 million package of measures designed to deepen and strengthen existing volunteering infrastructure, develop and expand volunteering infrastructure at local and community level, promote volunteering among young people in second and third level, support the development of an authoritative code of best practice for volunteering, and develop reliable data with regard to volunteering to inform further initiatives and focus strategies. The central thrust of this package of measures is that volunteering finds meaning and expression at local level and that supports and funding should to the greatest extent seek to reflect and respect this reality.
To this end, in addition to ring-fencing funding for the promotion of local volunteering initiatives, I have directed funding at supporting a number of volunteer bureaux, members of the network Volunteer Centres Ireland, as well as funding a development officer for that network.
I have also targeted funding at promoting the spirit of volunteering among young people through support at third level for the Community Learning Programme in the Dublin Institute of Technology as a pilot project, and support for the Young Social Innovators Programme for 1,800 transition year students at second-level schools across the country. No one who attended or viewed the YSI National Showcase Awards in the Citywest Hotel last May could fail to be impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of the young citizens and social innovators celebrated and the quality of their projects. I believe we can all be confident that the spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in our young people, and that the store of social capital is looking good into the future. - Yours, etc,
NOEL AHERN TD, Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dublin 4.