I welcome the Minister of State to the House. We very much appreciate his giving his time. The Minister of State has eight minutes to set out his stall. Group spokespersons will have ten minutes each and time may be shared. The Minister of State must be called to reply no later than 6.53 p.m. It may be earlier but that is the guideline. Statements must conclude by 7 p.m.

Is cúis áthais dom a bheith i láthair sa Seanad inniu. I am delighted to be here to speak on our national volunteering strategy and the importance of volunteering across Irish society. As members know, it is part of who we are. It denotes us and sets us apart. It is woven into the tapestry of our communities, our culture and our sense of identity going back to Kickham and the whole piece around the GAA. From the GAA to the parish hall, from community gardens to climate action to people living in Ireland, we have always understood that a strong society is built not just by government or policy but by the people who look out for one another. Deonachas, volunteerism, is everywhere in our community and our society. Some people will question whether it is there or not but it is of course as we all give of our time. I commend all those who volunteer every day and every week in our society because whether we lend a hand at a community event, at a match, as part of a parents' association in school or even in our places of worship, our churches, we are volunteering. Each act of volunteerism makes life better and enriches and empowers our society.

I had the pleasure of being in Kildare with Senator O'Loughlin recently where we launched the Kildare volunteer strategy. That is a very good example of a really good event and a wonderful group of people enhancing the lives of the people in County Kildare. Statistics indicate that 1.1 million people are volunteers. To be honest, I believe it is higher than that. We see people i ngach áit ar fud na tíre ag tabhairt ama, giving time, effort, expertise and compassion. In today's modern Ireland, it is in Tidy Towns and our arts and cultural organisations. I saw it as part of the movement on the marriage equality referendum. We saw it in Kildare with the animal rescue.

On environmental advocacy, Senator Noonan knows about the circular economy and climate change. Our first responders and community responders, sports clubs and search and rescue show that people of all ages come together to volunteer and give of themselves. They are not looking for a reward or accolades, but want to support an event, organisation or charity. As we know, we cannot measure volunteering because it is priceless. The gift is unbelievable because it changes people's lives. It keeps our communities safe, unified, resilient and compassionate and also provides hope.

As a Minister of State, I am much more aware now than I was before of the huge impact volunteering creates in all aspects of Irish life. As a Government, we recognise the unique value and contribution of our volunteers to society. As I said, it is an intrinsic part of the fabric of our lives. Volunteering not only benefits communities and wider society, but also improves the health and everyday lives of the volunteers. Volunteering connects people to their communities, reduces isolation, which is a challenge we have to overcome as a country, allows people to learn new skills and enables them to get involved in causes they care about. Volunteering affords an opportunity for people to build on their skills and employability. As I said, it provides mental and physical benefits. It increases happiness and contentment.

Understanding the important contribution of volunteers throughout Ireland, the Government launched its first national volunteering strategy in December 2020. The purpose of the five-year strategy was to recognise, support and promote the unique value and contribution of volunteers to our society. The strategy also provides an opportunity for the Government to recognise how important volunteering is to the well-being of the nation and steer the delivery of an agreed ambitious vision. The national volunteering strategy has five strategic objectives with 56 associated actions, all of which have the aim of achieving its vision of a society where volunteering is promoted, valued, facilitated and supported so that people can contribute to developing and maintaining a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable community.

The strategy is a policy framework, building on the establishment of a nationwide coverage of volunteering centres. I thank all of the staff and people involved in volunteering centres for the work they are doing. I am very familiar with Cork and want to thank Adam and his team.

The national volunteering strategy highlights not just international best practice but, from an OECD point of view, where we stand on volunteering policy. It is about a collaborative approach with stakeholders in the strategy's purpose in recognising, supporting and promoting the unique value and contribution of volunteers to society. In a couple of weeks, Daffodil Day will be an example of this. In implementing the strategy, the Department of which I am a Minister of State is working with key stakeholders to become part of the implementation group and subgroups to ensure that we deliver and are measured by our deliverables in terms of the Government supporting volunteering but also matching that with funding.

Funding will increase from €3.1 million in 2020 to €7.7 million in 2026. There will be provision of core funding for a network of volunteering centres across Ireland and Volunteer Ireland. I commend all in Volunteer Ireland, the national advocacy body. This funding shows that we are delivering. Funding is also made available each year to carry out research and projects that support the implementation of actions and the strategy.

Volunteers have helped during storms, Covid-19 and the Ukraine crisis, and today we reflect on the people of Ukraine as they embark on an anniversary we never thought we would mark and show that we are with them. When a crisis hits the first responder is a neighbour. In a variety of ways, we see the importance of volunteering. In terms of the record number of new arrivals to Ireland, the most impactful and effective integration supports were volunteer led or delivered. The Government is making additional supports available to community centres as they work with new communities to harmonise volunteering efforts.

It is about the type of Ireland we want to have. At the heart is the person with the volunteer ensuring that we never take them for granted and can never say míle buíochas enough. It is about recognising and celebrating the contribution volunteers make to our wonderful country and making our communities a better place.

Our first national volunteering strategy is drawing to a close. I am delighted that we have embarked on a second national volunteering strategy, which we have worked on in the Department. We will deliver it later this year. It will build on the successes of the first one and recognises the engagement we have had with a variety of organisations. There have been myriad engagement in the compilation of the new strategy. It recognises that we continue to deliver.

I thank Members for having a genuine willingness to listen as part of the development of the second national volunteering strategy. The Members of the Upper House are an important group. They come from their communities and bring a wealth of experience that I want to hear about. I hope the debate will be constructive. I am here to listen in a positive manner. It is great that the Chamber is having a debate on volunteering. I thank it for that. As I said, my spirit is one of listening and engagement and I hope the contributions of Senators will play a part in the next strategy. I thank the officials from my Department for being here. It is important they are here because this is an important Chamber which we must take seriously.

The Minister of State is very welcome. When I think of volunteers, I refer to Churchill when he said, "Never ... was so much owed by so many to so few". He was speaking about something different at the time. Volunteering is something very special in our country and it is not written into law, as the Minister of State mentioned. Rather, it is written into who we are and what we do in this country.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of State and his Department, along with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, because it is the Department that has supported the volunteerism with which I have been involved for the past 14 years.

Last night, I attended a Castlerea Town Team gathering. I have been a member of the team for 14 years. We presented our town centre first plan to the community. It was to be submitted today, the final date for applications. The submission represents 18 months of meetings, consultations, listening sessions and honest conversations. As people are expected to be in Ireland, the meeting was quite vocal and people had strong opinions, to which they are entitled. There was an element of respect in the room for the people representing their community. I am not referring to the political but rather the volunteering side.

Volunteers represent significant time and it is time that volunteers are giving up freely on a constant basis. It is time that they could have spent with families, friends or resting. It is time they could have spent looking after their own well-being. That needs to be factored in. Instead, volunteers spend time listening to concerns in sitting rooms, gathering ideas and trying to make their home towns, including my home town, Castlerea, a better place to live. That is what volunteers do. It is not just an activity; it is a sacrifice and it is something they do with would care. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the town teams in Boyle, Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon town, Strokestown and Monksland, as well as a lot of the community development companies throughout Roscommon and the country.

Before entering the House, I coached an under-6 boys team on Monday evenings. Anyone who has ever tried to organise a group of six-year-old boys will know the kind of resilience it takes to look after a group like that. The Seanad was an awful lot easier and a step up.

Every four weeks, I sell GAA lotto tickets in pubs on Friday nights in my home town. It is moments like that which are very important, but they pale in comparison to the work done by volunteers throughout the country every day.

Across Ireland in every parish, village and town there are people who are quietly holding communities together. I have one example from Castlerea and I only raise it because I was told it was his birthday last night. A former county councillor, Danny Burke, celebrated his 87th birthday so I will take this chance to wish him a happy birthday. Danny is still active as a volunteer in his 88th year. He is out every week collecting funds for various charities and he will be out for Daffodil Day in the coming weeks, as the Minister of State mentioned. He also plays an active role in the Castlerea Brass and Reed Band, as well as promoting football with primary and secondary schools in the wider area. Danny represents something that is powerful, which is the passing of the baton from one generation to the next. Volunteers do not step forward for recognition, as the Minister of State said already. They step forward because they saw someone do it before them and they feel a responsibility to continue that work. This is what Irish volunteerism is and it is a tradition. It is something the national volunteering strategy rightly seeks to recognise and support.

The first strategy, introduced in 2020, was a landmark moment in recognising volunteering with a whole-of-government approach and recognising its true value to Irish society. It set out a vision of a country where volunteering is promoted, valued, supported and facilitated. It was only a few months after it was launched that Covid-19 hit and we saw the real value of communities, with community hubs, community dinners and meals on wheels. Volunteers, who were not able to do anything else at that time, put their shoulders to the wheel and went out and supported their communities.

We have made progress with the strategy but we also need to be honest because while volunteers give of their time freely, volunteering is not free. Increasingly, volunteering is becoming more difficult. We are asking more and more of fewer and fewer people. The paperwork, the governance requirements, the compliance and the grant applications are no longer small tasks. They are complex, time consuming and often overwhelming. Volunteers who once simply showed up to help are now expected to navigate systems that can make it feel like a full-time job. Even when funding is secured, spending that funding can be just as difficult. That cannot continue. We risk turning volunteers from something rooted in community and goodwill into something transactional and burdensome. That is not something volunteering should be. We also know that volunteer-led youth work is the backbone of youth engagement throughout Ireland. However, there insufficient support for recruitment, training and retention in that sector. Volunteers are essential but they cannot be taken for granted. They need support, structure and recognition. This includes proper investment in staffing within organisations, particularly where volunteers are working with vulnerable groups, because volunteers should never be left unsupported in roles that carry such responsibility.

I wish to make a very practical point today on matched funding. We often require community groups to provide matched funding to access grants but fail to recognise the value of the voluntary hours. The time given by volunteers, the evenings, the weekends and the countless unseen hours, has real value and should be recognised as such. Volunteer hours should count towards some element of matched funding because without those hours, many of these projects simply could not happen. We also need to support volunteers in a more structured and practical way. There is a clear need to better co-ordinate at local level in what has been described as a core hub approach bringing together volunteer centres, local development companies, PPNs and the sports partnerships in joined-up support. Not every volunteer is an expert in grant application writing, governance or compliance and nor should they have to be. We should be able to make it easier for people to get involved, and not harder.

As we look to the future of volunteering in Ireland I acknowledge a colleague of mine in Roscommon, Councillor Valerie Duffy, who raised the designation of 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development. Valerie sent me this earlier today.

Every day, millions of people around the world take actions - big and small - to make life better for others and for their communities. Whether is it mentoring young people, supporting local health efforts, working on graveyards or in Tidy Towns, or responding to emergencies, volunteers drive meaningful change in [our] communities.

Through their actions, volunteers become a force for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - connecting people, strengthening resilience, and creating [a] lasting impact.

The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Volunteer Year for Sustainable Development and this invites us to celebrate and recognise the incredible contribution of volunteers everywhere. It's a moment to raise awareness, spark conversations, and inspire even more people to get involved.

Volunteering Ireland is the lead for this initiative in Ireland in 2026 and they have a great campaign and pledge called 26 for 26! They are calling on the public to engage and volunteer for 26 hours during 2026. This is just over 2 hours per month! You could make a regular volunteering commitment, volunteer at home on your own schedule; or even at once-off events throughout the year.

The councillor refers to the Volunteering Ireland webpage, www.volunteer.ie, if people want more information on that. Councillor Duffy does substantial work with youth groups in County Roscommon and it is important to acknowledge and recognise that work.

As a volunteer, I acknowledge all of the wonderful work that is going on around us and also acknowledge the Minister of State's Department for providing access to funds to support all of these initiatives. Let us not lose sight of the people on the ground. Let us not lose sight of the job they signed up for and the reason they are doing it. Through all of the organisations I mentioned such as volunteer centres, local development companies and PPNs, the support to empower those volunteers to make the most of their efforts and of the funds available through the Minister of State's Department and other Departments is what we need to support.

The next slot was identified for the Independent Group but there is no one taking that slot. I note Senator Noonan has to leave to attend a committee meeting. He is a member of the Cross-Party Group and will have ten minutes. He has indicated he will share if that is okay with all of the Members here. Is it agreed we take them next? Agreed.

The rota after that is clearly set out. The Cross-Party Group will take this ten minute slot, the next slot is for Senator O'Loughlin for Fianna Fáil, then it is Sinn Féin, which has indicated they will be sharing, followed by Senators Flaherty and Byrne. Is that agreed? Agreed.

My colleague, Senator Flaherty, and I wish to share time.

You are going to share?

Yes.

The Senator can say that as it comes up. Senator Noonan, is it two minutes and eight minutes?

Yes. My colleagues and I will share time. I will make a very short contribution because I have a committee meeting. I appreciate-----

The House.

-----being allowed to come in at this stage but I felt it was important to speak on this matter. I am conscious that today is Susie Long's 60th birthday. Susie was a good friend and for those who may not remember, her courage in speaking out on the Joe Duffy show about her delayed cancer diagnosis after he read out her letter resonated with families all over Ireland and beyond. She spoke about the need for the ending of the geographic lottery for hospice care in Ireland. She found herself lucky in that she was cared for by the wonderful staff and volunteers of St. Francis Hospice in Harold's Cross and indeed we invaded the hospice ourselves with guitars to join her there. Susie herself was a lifelong volunteer and she did not just take up being a campaigner when she became ill. She was a secretary of the Home Birth Association of Ireland. She was a member of our local Friends of the Earth group. She was a volunteer with development education groups in Kilkenny and an active member of Amnesty International Ireland. Right up to the end of her life Susie was a volunteer. She embodied the volunteering spirit and so I wish Susie a heavenly happy birthday.

Gan dabht tá luach ollmhór ag oibrithe deonacha dár bpobail timpeall na tíre. In my former role I saw the immense contribution of conservation volunteers across the country, from the Maharees to Killarney National Park, Abbeyleix and Ardee, Hometree in County Clare to the Acorn Project of my home county of Kilkenny. The Minister of State mentioned the wildlife rescues he visited and they do amazing work. It was in conservation work I found my love of volunteering; removing invasive species, doing bat counts, curating school gardens, tree planting and restoring river habitats. That love of volunteering led me onto voluntary boards and into other volunteer activity. Like many a volunteer, we do so because we get that sense of satisfaction from knowing we are not innocent bystanders and the best antidote to despair is action. I want to say a huge míle buíochas to the tens of thousands of people of all ages who volunteer in so many organisations across Ireland. There are people from new communities also who see volunteering as a wonderful way of integrating and feeling part of the community. I ask the Minister of State to take that on board. It is really important that new communities are included in the strategy.

I will speak briefly on an area of volunteering I feel is important and that is volunteering with and among our young people. My own son Colm is taking after his dad and volunteering with the Kilkenny No Name Club. He absolutely loves it. Volunteer-led youth work is hugely important. It is vital to our young people. I have worked in that sector myself and the majority are young people engaging through our volunteer-led youth clubs, yet, there is insufficient support for volunteer recruitment, retention, training and development. Volunteers are essential to sustaining youth work infrastructure, particularly in rural communities and community-based settings. The launch of the first volunteering strategy was a landmark step in recognising the unique contribution of volunteers. It is a whole-of-government policy introducing a comprehensive set of measures to ensure sustainability and development of volunteering across society.

I pay tribute again to the national network of volunteer centres. As has been said, the issue of burn-out and the issues around compliance and due diligence in voluntary boards needs to be addressed but that support for our youth service in particular is absolutely essential.

I thank everyone again for letting me take this slot. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit as well. It is no exaggeration to say that our society was built upon the work of volunteers. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine as they say after all. In the 2022 census, the CSO found that over 700,000 people in the State were regularly giving their time and expertise for a voluntary cause. That is incredible. We can see that in every town and village. We know they keep our services alive. It has been said too that the volunteers do the work that, for better or worse, the State has been unwilling or unable to do at the time. The resources that volunteering provides in terms of energy, personnel, finance and commitment would come at a very considerable cost to the State if it were to be sourced on the open market. We can all see the benefits. People who have volunteered themselves can see how much it contributes to society. It is well documented. We can also see how much we get ourselves from volunteering such as the physical and mental benefits and the career opportunities.

I want to give a shout-out to our own Carrick-on-Shannon, which won Ireland's tidiest town award in the Tidy Towns competition and Sligo won the cleanest town award. These our volunteer-led services. Sligo Welcome Ambassadors is another volunteer group which shows people around the town. It is services like that and arts festivals that keep our towns and villages alive. I come from a community development background as does the Minister of State. That is why it was so welcome to see the Government publish the first national volunteering strategy in 2021. Over the last four years, it has been really welcome to have the whole-of-government policy recognising and promoting the value of volunteers in Irish society. I am delighted to hear of the commitment to a new strategy and we will be looking forward to hearing more about that and when it will be rolled out. We cannot leave voluntary organisations waiting without clarity. We know the last volunteering strategy was great but it was not perfect. Volunteer Ireland has pointed to several issues that need to be addressed. I know the Government has been listening to the feedback from Volunteer Ireland which, hopefully, will be addressed in the coming strategy. Recruitment and retention for voluntary organisations remain an issue. Often, organisations rely on the same people a lot. We are looking to support more organisations to incorporate flexibility into their volunteer programmes. That would be looking at supporting through public participation networks, PPNs, local development companies and the volunteer centres. At the time, Volunteer Ireland made the point based on its consultations that most organisations and volunteers consulted had never heard of a national volunteering strategy. It has also come up that there was going to be a full communications plan as part of the strategy and hopefully that will come along with this new strategy.

From my own experience as a volunteer in youth work but also in the scouts, I can mention transport issues and the long complex Garda vetting process, which can often deter a lot of people. This also comes up from an artist's point of view or in the case of new communities coming in when they are trying to get Garda vetting if they lived in a country or even had a short stay somewhere. Particularly in art projects, you might be involved in one art project for one day and you have to go through the whole Garda vetting process if you are working with young people. The whole Garda vetting process is having an impact on volunteers. That is something that has come up when I have been working with arts organisations and with volunteer groups. We saw in 2022 the Immigrant Council of Ireland reported that 63% of migrants wanted to volunteer but they lacked information or there were cultural or language barriers. That is something I hope will be looked at.

I want to give a shout-out to all the volunteers in my own community. I have a family and I would be lost without sport for my middle boy. I give a shout-out to all the volunteers in GAA groups, soccer and all the sports groups with which he is involved. I am not on my own as a parent thinking "Thank God for the GAA". This is from someone who would not have been the most massive or biggest fan in the world but I am now because I can see the benefits as a parent to have volunteer-led groups in one's own community, especially in rural Ireland where the opportunities in other areas might not always be there.

Before I finish, I want to talk about the youth sector. I know this has come up before here. I am a big believer of mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. One kind word to a young person can lead someone on a completely different path throughout their life. Volunteers are essential for sustaining youth work infrastructure. I worked as a project worker in target-led youth work but it is the volunteers who provide a lot of the services that bring young people in who might end up going into targeted youth work. From talking to the NYCI, there needs to be further investment in looking at how to support the club development. If organisations are not developed through having professional staff supporting the youth club development, they are often then at a loss. They might lose that whole grassroots sector, its reach of diversity and meeting young people where they are. That is why I would love to see clear, adequate funding for staff, particularly those who are dealing with volunteers in youth work services. It is a big investment. Often, it can be overlooked in youth services that looking at recruiting, managing staff and supervising a staff takes up a considerable amount of time. I hope this sector in particular will be looked at in this new strategy going forward.

I wish to share time with my colleague, Senator Flaherty. I wish to speak for six minutes and my colleague will have four minutes.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Minister of State bounced in here with his usual boundless energy and enthusiasm. It is great to see somebody who really is genuinely passionate about the role they serve. I know he does that in the community element and, of course, around rural transport. The two are also interlinked. That viability and connectivity, particularly in rural communities, is hugely important. Senator Scahill quoted Churchill whom I always like to hear being quoted but I will mention another one attributed to him which is equally fitting: "We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give." My life has been very much enriched by volunteering. The one negative about political life is that it takes you away from the volunteering that got you there in the first place. When I look back on my own volunteering with Special Olympics Ireland, sports, Samaritans and local festivals, I know I learned an awful lot. It is to my regret that political life can narrow the volunteering we do. Two weeks ago, I met Paula Conlon at the Barretstown camp. They are just starting a new volunteer initiative there working with families of children who have life-limiting health complications. In their volunteer programme, you can volunteer for as little or as much time as you have. The commitment I made was that I would definitely spend at least one weekend there during the summer. I know I benefit as a person when I have that opportunity. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." We all learn an awful lot from it.

The Minister of State mentioned he was in Kildare. We were delighted to have him. It was a huge acknowledgement and appreciation of all the volunteers who were there. We are lucky to have one of the 29 volunteer centres in Kildare. David, John, Michelle and the rest of the team do an incredible job of matching volunteers with volunteer opportunities. They were there prior to Covid-19 but the experience during Covid-19 has really added to that sense of belonging. They have far more volunteers since Covid-19 when as a nation we sent out that request for people to get involved in their own communities.

I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for what they are doing to recognise the essential work being carried out by volunteers and voluntary organisations in our communities because there is absolutely no doubt that type of work enhances communities where we live and it strengthens our resilience and enhances social cohesion. That also includes our new Irish. When he was in Kildare, the Minister of State met people from Helping Irish Hosts who have done incredible work to help Irish families open their homes and hearts to Ukrainians who came to Ireland. We acknowledge that it is four years today since the war of aggression started. They are looking at ways how that scheme can be expanded to help others. I really appreciate that he said he will meet them.

It was important that the first strategy to recognise to support and promote the unique contribution of volunteers to society. The strategy consisted of five high-level objectives and 56 associated actions, which is what helped bring us to where we are. With regard to the recommendations to increase participation, people in the home or who are retired have so much to give and offer. That is also true of the new Irish. In Newbridge I have seen that particularly in the Tidy Towns group where they have got involved. It is a wonderful way of making new friends and making a difference in the community in which we live.

The objective to facilitate, develop and support the volunteering environment is also important. Apart from the time and the part of ourselves we want to give to the particular different charities, causes or community groups, there is an element of work and red tape to volunteering. Senator Cosgrove also mentioned that. The Government is looking for suggestions. Recruitment is important and it is important to do that through education, including transition year and even at primary school level through children getting involved in community gardens where there is that intergenerational piece and working with day care centres for something that can help all of us.

There is also the questions of training, appreciation and fast-track vetting and grant writing. We need places for volunteers to meet and to gather. I would like to give a big shout out to all those involved in animal rescue, meals on wheels, day care centres, etc.

I will finish on a quote from Muhammad Ali: "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." I thank the Minister of State for being here.

I will sound very inadequate now because I cannot quote Muhammad Ali or Churchill. I will venture on as best I can.

I am delighted this topic is down for discussion today. The bedrock of this country has been volunteerism down through the years. That spirit of volunteerism is the one thing that sets us apart from every other country. Many people have rightly mentioned the issues with Garda vetting and getting people approved. The flip side of that is when we were not so strict on it, we can look at the sins of our past where many people were violated and many young people in particular were taken advantage of. We have to balance that. Anything we can do to streamline the process and make it easier is very welcome.

We have a number of very good success stories in Longford. We have the Longford Volunteer Centre where Gerry Smyth is the main man. He is supported by Bronwyn Slevin, Verona Gray and Oleksandra Kurova. They do fantastic work. They held their volunteer awards recently and it was great to see the many people across the county who were honoured, including Pauline Flood, Sadia Butt and Tom Cunningham who is involved in under-age soccer and probably spends more time at that pitch than he does with his wife – that is probably why he is so happy. Any time I go to the pitch he is there anyway. It is fantastic. You see people who have dedicated their lives. When I was preparing for this, I thought of Ray Grehan from Edgeworthstown. Ray is profoundly deaf but no matter what event or social event is on in Longford, Ray is there, larger than life. He is a fantastic big build of a man. He volunteers and he is a stalwart at Longford Town football matches. He never misses one. It is very much his passion. He has raised a young family with his wife and she sees the value of volunteerism for Ray. It is people like that who are really the standout people in this sphere. We probably do not celebrate those people enough and we need to do more. The awards night we had in Longford was very good but these people need recognition nationally. The President is likely to have an event for volunteers but it would not be beyond the bounds that we could have a day for volunteers in Leinster House. It is important. They do an awful lot of work that would otherwise fall back on the arms of the State to carry out. Their efforts should be acknowledged.

I should mention the bad with the good. I was particularly disappointed about something recently. Many will know there was a rebranding of the ISPCA and DSPCA. They merged recently and are now known as the NSPCA. We have a fantastic Rehab group in Longford town, which operates from Redleaf House. It does fantastic work with a core group of young people. You would not meet a happier group of young people. Every time I meet them I feel invigorated and happy. They do not see my shortcomings as a politician; they see me as a human being, as a person, as a friend and someone who smiles and says "Hello" and that is brilliant. They volunteer at many things including litter picks. One thing were they did boundless volunteering was at the NSPCA national refuge centre in Keenagh, County Longford where they would go out and walk dogs, supported by their care assistants from Redleaf House. Unfortunately, they were recently notified by the national NSPCA that it will no longer be able to accommodate volunteers with additional needs at this time. That is a very disappointing turn of events. There was no input. All they had to do was bring the dogs up to the office and they were taken for a walk. I would like the Minister of State to make contact with the NSPCA. We fund that organisation. We gave it just under €1 million last year and I think we gave it €1.2 million the previous year. At a minimum, if we are funding organisations they need to sign up to the volunteerism charter that runs deep in this society. If the Minister of State could take that up with it, I would appreciate it.

Senator Collins is next. She is sharing time with Senator Tully with five minutes each. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I also do not have any inspirational quotes to share but you never know – I might say something inspirational enough that I might be quoted in 50 years, although I doubt it.

When we talk of volunteering we are talking about real people who give up their evenings, weekends and time after work not because they have to but because they want to and they have a passion. I see it every week in Limerick. Our Tidy Towns volunteers are out on a Saturday morning planting flowers and cleaning up towns. I see the GAA coaches standing in the rain with young lads and girls helping them not only with skills but also giving them confidence and a sense of belonging. I see it in community halls, parish groups, heritage committees, meals on wheels drivers and community transport volunteers. All these make rural Ireland what it is. If we are honest, many of our small towns and rural communities would struggle badly without these people. Most of them are not looking for praise. They do not even want to be called volunteers or see themselves as volunteers. They are just helping; that is it. That is why having a national strategy to recognise volunteering is so important. It mattered to say clearly that what they do and the work they do counts and it underpins our society.

However, recognition is only the beginning. If we truly want volunteering to thrive into the future, volunteers themselves must be at the centre of all decisions that are made. Whether it is the governance rules, safeguarding requirements, insurance costs or compliance obligations, we need to ask whether they make it easier or harder for the person who is giving up their time freely because too often, even with good intentions, we can create systems that add pressure to the people whom we rely on.

In rural Ireland especially, volunteering is not optional; it is the backbone of community life. Without it, clubs close, events disappear and social isolation grows. We welcome the strategies that support volunteering but as we move beyond 2025, it needs to be more ambitious. We need properly resourced support for volunteer centres. We need simpler, more practical processes for small community groups that do not have paid staff, only local people doing their best. We need to engage with young people in a way that makes volunteering accessible and worthwhile. Above all, we need to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. Too many volunteers feel like they are filling out forms instead of coaching teams or organising events. Too many small organisations feel like they are jumping through hoops just to stay compliant. That is not sustainable if we want to continue having volunteer groups. If we want volunteering to thrive, we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to step forward.

The strategy from 2021 to 2025 was an important step and now we need to build on it with sustained funding and genuine engagement from volunteers themselves. This is an issue where we can come together across both Chambers. Supporting volunteers is not party political. It is about community and solidarity because at the end of the day, volunteering truly is the backbone of Ireland, of our towns and villages, of our sporting organisations, of our charities, and of the State itself. If we support that backbone properly, we strengthen Ireland as a whole.

I myself volunteer on the board of a community crèche and for the local GAA club. It is funny because my children have not attended crèche in many years and none of them is in any way interested in the GAA. They asked me, not all that long ago, why I was on a crèche committee and a GAA committee when my children had nothing to do with them, and the only answer I could give was that those committees needed somebody and I had that extra bit of time that I could put in and give them a hand, even if it was only fundraising. I get great fun out of fundraising. I quite enjoy it.

I will sign the Senator up.

I do not know why but I do. Organising events is what I enjoy.

There is one organisation that I would have to put above a lot of organisations that I know, and that would be ALONE. It does amazing work. I went through Garda vetting to become a volunteer with ALONE. It turned out I could not fulfil that because my mother's dementia was so progressive that I said I would use my ALONE hours to spend time at home with family and look after her, but it is an amazing organisation. It does such good, especially in rural areas where you have a lot of houses that would not have a next-door neighbour or someone coming to the house every day or once a week just to spend an hour with people. The social side of it is what is so important.

I will leave it there and pass over to my colleague.

Good evening, a Aire Stáit. I would like to start by commending again all those who are involved in volunteering in so many sectors across Cavan and all of our country. You have people who work with children, with our youth, with our sports organisations and with drama groups. You have got community development organisations. You have got the Tidy Towns, older people and disabled people.

I want to mention PPNs. PPNs do vital work in supporting the voluntary and community sector in all of our counties. They give them a voice, for example, on strategic policy committees, SPCs, so that they can influence policy and decision-making, but they also are involved in networking between organisations and providing training and advice. They are important and I commend them.

Looking back on my own life, I have volunteered in many different capacities. Sometimes, you do it without even thinking. As was said, in your involvement in a political party, you are volunteering quite a bit of your time. I would have been involved as a Foróige leader in my time. I would have been involved in extracurricular activities at school. It would give you a different perspective of working with young people because you are not teaching them in the classroom; you are meeting them on a different level. It builds the relationship, and improves it, with them in school.

I was also involved in a community development organisation in my local area and we built a community centre there. That was heavily influenced by the need for something. There is an organisation called Kilnaleck Social Services. It did important work with older people in the community and just needed a place where it could bring people for different activities on a regular basis, provide them with a hot meal and have little bits of entertainment and engagement. It is a wonderful organisation. It has been going for many years. I also want to mention Positive Age Cavan. It works with older people as well. It is all volunteer led and is important in providing support to older people.

I want to mention volunteers from other countries. There has been a huge number of people who have come here, as asylum seekers or to work, from other countries and have got involved in the local community. It is wonderful to see. It is a great way of integrating people into communities.

I engaged with the National Youth Council of Ireland this week and it has a few comments on the youth sector in relation to volunteers involved in youth work. Volunteer youth work is the cornerstone of the youth sector in Ireland. A majority of young people who engage in youth clubs do so with the volunteer-led youth clubs, but the council feels that there is insufficient training and support for volunteers and for the development, recruitment and retention of volunteers within the youth sector because they are essential to sustaining youth work infrastructure, particularly in rural and community-based settings.

The launch of Ireland's first national volunteering strategy in December 2020 was a landmark step. It recognised and supported the unique contribution of volunteers. I am delighted to note that there is another one being prepared to follow during the year. The strategy introduced a comprehensive set of measures to ensure the sustainability and development of volunteering across Irish society, but without consistent investment in volunteer support and club development, the sector risks losing its reach, diversity and grassroots involvement.

The council will continue to seek training provision - participation costs sometimes need to be covered - and formal recognition of the governance role within youth organisations and, indeed, other organisations as well. Some people have already mentioned here that we have to be careful that we do not overburden groups, especially smaller organisations that only have maybe a small number of volunteers, with a lot of regulations. Regulation is important. We have to ensure that there is good governance in all of these sectors. I recognise that there are different organisations established, such as the Charities Regulator, to ensure all of that is done properly but we have to ensure that there is investment, not only in training support staff, but in administrative roles, and that it does not become too cumbersome for smaller organisations. Volunteers may give their time freely but it is not cost free. For example, many organisations have had to recruit additional staff solely to manage vetting requirements.

Going back to the youth work sector, the volunteer activation fund was a valuable initiative that recognised these pressures. It has not yet been confirmed for 2026. Maybe the Minister of State can confirm that the volunteer activation fund will continue because it creates certainty for organisations that rely heavily on volunteers.

I thank the Minister for State for coming to discuss this all-important topic.

I would like to pay a compliment to all volunteers because right across every city and county, there are volunteers everywhere. They are out on a daily basis. They are out in all types of weather. They are on the side of a pitch. They are involved in community centres. They are involved in so many projects.

With the Tánaiste, I visited St. Munchin's Community Centre last Friday. When the Ukrainian crisis hit, it took in many Ukrainians, gave them accommodation and worked with them in terms of the provision of food and different services, and now those Ukrainians are giving back to the community, many of them on a voluntary basis.

It is not only about the volunteers who are coming from other countries; it is about the people in different parts of our country who are volunteering. For example, the McManus family started the Team Limerick Clean-Up. People are out on a daily basis, including at weekends, cleaning the streets of Limerick.

This led to the Team Limerick Clean-Up on Good Friday every year when thousands of people from across Limerick go out and volunteer to clean up their areas. People do this all year round as well. There is the Redemptorist Perpetual Help Fund consisting of money left by benefactors to the Redemptorists. Not only are they alleviating food poverty, they also provide money to various community centres in terms of education and social inclusion for people. There are many different volunteer groups out there. The Government had its strategy from 2020 to 2025. Both Senator Tully and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in his own speech referred to the fact a consultation is currently in process on the upcoming strategy. Will the Minister of State give an indication of when that strategy might be launched? I acknowledge he has been engaging with many volunteering groups throughout the country.

Personally, I volunteered with the Special Olympics not only in Limerick but nationally and took part in the world games over a 15-year period. It benefits a person to work with and to help people. There is love and affection but also the respect that you learn to give people who go out there and participate. It is all about participation. I am involved in the community centre, which would not survive without the many volunteers that come along. While we have people that are paid, many of them working on CE schemes; they are giving back to their community. Community centres would not survive without the volunteers that help out be it working with dementia groups, working with older people or working with children. While there are paid people within the centre we also need the volunteers. I want to see an approach where we support people who are volunteering.

In respect of those volunteering, Garda vetting was referred to. Many of them have to go on training courses and often pay for those training courses out of their own funds because the organisation they are involved in has not got the funding. I want to see a broad approach certainly in terms of volunteering. I was at the Limerick Youth Service centre recently for its awards acknowledging people within the community who were working with youth and helping people to stay on the right road. By working together and with that collaboration piece, I believe that volunteering is certainly to be commended by all. I want us to encourage people to get involved on a voluntary basis whether with the sports club, the youth club or the community centre or working with migrants that come into this country. I compliment the Minister of State and the Department and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in terms of all they have done with the strategy that has just finished. I look forward to working with them on the new strategy.

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le gach Ball an tSeanaid a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht, a raibh a lán fuinnimh inti. I thank Members for their participation. I never thought we would hear Churchill, Gandhi and Muhammad Ali quoted in the Seanad in the same night. I am impressed. The contributions by everybody were fantastic, I thank all the Members. It shows the importance of all of us in this Chamber being of the community, volunteering, understanding and recognising that volunteering is the cornerstone of our society. We know that it is a critical part of our Irish life. I have heard the contributions.

For me it is about fostering community, the spirit, cohesion, the fun and the joy we see in the bringing of change and the building of a community built upon people with people at the heart of what we do. I heard Senator Scahill speaking about the volunteer holding communities together. Senator Collins will be remembered because she said they are real people. Indeed they are. We are all real people. It takes an effort to volunteer. It takes time to do what everyone in this Chamber does because the contribution we make resonates and has an impact. The people who volunteer motivate and bring people with them.

Senator Noonan mentioned Susie Long. We remember her today. It was her voice that built change. Equally, our communities are built upon that person, as I say, an gnáthdhuine, making the commitment and creating a vibrant community that is inclusive and builds upon best practice internationally. It is also about where we want to live and what it says about us. We can talk about the economic, cultural and societal benefits. It is measured every week when the kids speak about going to GAA matches. I am not sure the under-sixes are more difficult than being in the Seanad. The Cathaoirleach probably has an easier job now, managing you guys maybe. It is about bringing the history, the heritage, the arts of which Members spoke, education, sport and health all into policy. Equally, it is as Senator Noonan said the love of volunteering as we look to the future. It is about the best supports, the infrastructure and the scaffolding we put in place in working with our volunteers and volunteer bodies to ensure they continue to grow and prosper in order that we can have a regeneration.

I am struck by what Senator Cosgrove said about that volunteer group. The whole youth sector is one we can look at again to see how we can get those young people to continue to be a voice. People say that young people are too young. They are not actually, because they bring the lived experience as the generation that had a Covid experience that we can learn from in how we can ensure that piece around volunteering feeds into the new strategy.

Senator Flaherty spoke about the volunteering day here in this House. The Cathaoirleach and Ceann Comhairle could perhaps work with us on how we could celebrate that piece. I am open to that because it is about collaboration.

As part of the outgoing strategy there is immense pride in volunteering. At its core the strategy was about fostering, promoting and enhancing that culture of volunteering. It is also in the programme for Government commitments. Tonight is an example of that consultative process that I spoke about earlier, on what we have done around the country. I thank the officials in my Department who are very much of themselves of our communities, living, volunteering, inspiring and being inspired. For me as a Minister it is about ensuring we hear the voices that are reflected tonight in this Chamber in the development of the new strategy. It is built upon sharing that collaborative approach to co-operation that the first strategy had.

I will reflect upon the debate here tonight and if you think about it, dependent on volunteers as we have said, the future is about bringing and nurturing the community and the grassroot volunteers in terms of the sustainable development goals. It also is about the focus Senator Collins spoke about in terms of the structural basis. Senator Maria Byrne had a key point about respect and that we respect the people who give of themselves and who participate because it enhances and strengthens our communities. The new strategy is at a seminal point in our society and in our world emerging from Covid-19 at a more difficult time for people. We are told that volunteering is declining in some places. We have to get under the bonnet and see why and help people. Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the sense of belonging that reinforces our need to volunteer. I agree with Senator Tully in terms of PPNs. On the issue raised about the volunteer activation fund, it is under the auspices of the Department of Youth and Children and its Minister, Deputy Foley. I will raise that with her. For me as a Minister and as a volunteer all my life, we need to have a volunteering strategy. However, we are in a great position to harness the opportunities of people, built upon the first strategy.

Our strategy is among the most comprehensive in Europe or even the world in terms of the policies but also the dedication that it has to the development and the celebration of volunteering across the country. I hate using the word "infrastructure" because it sounds awful but Senators know what I mean by the supports and the encouragement. I want to finish on the governance piece. Our network centres of Volunteer Ireland are phenomenal at what they do. There was a commitment from Government to match that.

I finish by making reference to the burden and I hear the remarks of Members in that regard. I am a volunteer and now, as a Minister of State, I am wearing a different hat. I hear the Members and it has been articulated by them and others in terms of the balance between governance, responsibility and - not being cavalier about it - abandoning everything to make it. They are right in what they say about bureaucracy and the volunteer-led approach. We cannot burden people. I am glad that Senator Collins is big into fundraising. However, if we burden people with bureaucracy, they will run. That is what we cannot do. I would love to go with Senator Scahill on a Friday night selling the lotto tickets. I would say it should be some fun.

It takes a lot of effort.

He is probably canvassing as well to be fair to him; maybe both of them are doing that.

I thank all the Senators for their volunteering and what they do which is very important. As Minister of State but also as a person who grew up volunteering, I recognise our country is a better place for the contributions made by so many volunteers. Senator Flaherty mentioned the gentleman in Longford. Senator Scahill mentioned an 87-year-old man, a former councillor. We piggyback on them. The Government is committed to supporting and celebrating volunteers and volunteering because without them our country is a poorer place.

I thank the Seanad for having this debate tonight. We need to do more of this in the Oireachtas not in an adversarial way but in a way where we can learn from each other. I have taken notes and I will feed them back to our officials. Míle buíochas le gach Ball a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht iontach seo.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus le gach Seanadóir. It is important that a debate on volunteerism takes place in Seanad Éireann in light of the fact that it is nearly 20 years since the publication of the book Bowling Alone about how people are getting more isolated in a world that has so much connection online that in the real world people are not going out and helping others which obviously benefits society but also benefits the individuals involved in it. Bowling Alone described how America was changing with people no longer involved in different organisations, many of them voluntary but also helping those in their own community. People literally did not even have somebody to go bowling with; that was how isolated people were getting. Now, 20 years later we see a lot of that in Ireland where people are connected online but not connected. Volunteerism is a great way of doing this. It is nearly 20 years since the task force on active citizenship. A lot of those recommendations could be looked at again in terms of how we can help society by helping each other and people volunteering. That is a big part. I again thank the Minister of State and everybody for participating.