S.I. No. 369/2000 - Comhairle Regulations, 2000.

The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by paragraph (h) of section 7 (1) of the Comhairle Act, 2000 (No. 1 of 2000), hereby specifies the National Committee on Volunteering as a body to which the provisions of the said paragraph will apply.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

National Committee on Volunteering and its legal relationship with the Board of Comhairle.

1. The key functions of the National Committee on Volunteering will be:

—  to provide a national focus for volunteering in the context of IYV 2001;

—  to develop awareness of the role which volunteers play in Irish society;

—  to oversee central celebratory events marking the role of volunteers in Ireland;

—  to contribute to the work at an international level connected with IYV 2001;

—  to oversee the management of IYV 2001 in Ireland;

—  to provide support for voluntary and community organisations at local and national level, to run events and carry out activities celebrating and highlighting the role of volunteers in their organisations and to recruit additional volunteers.

Examine and make recommendations on:

—  the possibilities for recognition and accreditation for voluntary work and for training undertaken as a volunteer;

—  measures to widen pool of volunteers;

—  the range of supports needed in order to promote, sustain and develop volunteering.

2. The membership of the Committee will be as follows:

Representative from:

Department of the Taoiseach

Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs

Department of Education and Science

Department of Health and Children

Department of Foreign Affairs

Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation

Department of Environment and Local Government

Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands

Department of Defence

Local Authorities

Comhairle

Social Partners

National Networks

Representatives from Voluntary and Community Sector

CORI

St. Vincent de Paul

Volunteer Resource Centres

Foundation for Investing in Communities

Academics

3. Role of Comhairle and relationship with the National Committee on Volunteering.

In order to facilitate the employment of staff and to ensure financial accountability, the National Committee on Volunteering is specified as a committee to which the provisions of Section 7, sub-section 1 (h) of the Comhairle Act applies. A number of consequences flow from the legal relationship thus created between the Board and the National Committee on Volunteering.

(i)       Income:

Funding made available by the Department for National Committee on Volunteering activities and any income raised by the National Committee on Volunteering must be held in an account maintained by the Board.

(ii)      Expenditure:

The Board is accountable for all expenditure on National Committee on Volunteering activities and such expenditure must, therefore, be approved by the Board. Actual expenditure on National Committee on Volunteering activities should be incorporated in monthly accounts submitted to the Board and monitored against the expenditure programme.

(iii)     Contracts:

All contracts (including research and consultancy contracts) in relation to the National Committee on Volunteering must be in the name of the Board.

(iv)     Staff:

All staff working for the National Committee on Volunteering are employed by the Board, subject to employment control and other personnel procedures laid down by the Department. Any proposals by the National Committee on Volunteering to recruit permanent or temporary staff or to change conditions of employment must be agreed with the Board in the first instance.

(v)      Assets:

Assets of the National Committee on Volunteering must be held in the name of the Board.