Youth Work Act, 2001

Membership of Advisory Committee.

18.—(1) The number of members of the Advisory Committee, including the chairperson, shall be not fewer than 31 and not more than 33.

(2) The Minister shall appoint a person to be the chairperson of the Advisory Committee and at least one but not more than 2 other persons to be members.

(3) In making an appointment under subsection (2), the Minister shall have regard to the desirability of the persons appointed having knowledge of or experience in youth work.

(4) In addition to the persons appointed under subsection (2), the Minister shall appoint as members of the Advisory Committee 2 officers of the Department of Education and Science (one of whom shall be a member of the Inspectorate appointed under section 13 (1) of the Education Act, 1998 ), and at least one person who has been nominated to the Minister by each of the following:

(a) the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment,

(b) the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs,

(c) the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform,

(d) the Minister for Health and Children,

(e) the Minister for the Environment and Local Government,

(f) the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation,

(g) the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, and

(h) An Foras Áiseanna Saothair.

(5) In addition to the persons appointed in accordance with subsections (2) and (4), the Minister shall appoint as members of the Advisory Committee 4 persons nominated by the Irish Vocational Education Association.

(6) In addition to the persons appointed in accordance with subsections (2), (4) and (5), the Minister shall appoint as members of the Advisory Committee persons nominated by the Prescribed National Representative Youth Work Organisation as provided for in section 24 and the number of persons so appointed shall be the same as the total number of persons, excluding the chairperson, appointed in accordance with subsections (2), (4) and (5).

(7) In making appointments to the Advisory Committee the Minister shall ensure, as far as practicable, an appropriate gender balance, as determined by the Minister from time to time, among the membership thereof and, in order to achieve that balance, the Minister may require that nominations made under subsections (4), (5) and (6) be made in accordance with such balance.

(8) The Minister may require the Prescribed National Representative Youth Work Organisation referred to in subsection (6) to include amongst the persons nominated by it to be members of the Advisory Committee persons engaged in the provisions of youth work programmes or youth work services in a voluntary capacity who are not employees of the Prescribed National Representative Youth Work Organisation, an approved national voluntary youth work organisation, a designated local voluntary youth work organisation or an organisation authorised under section 25 (1).

(9) The Schedule shall apply to the Advisory Committee.

(10) The Minister shall provide such administrative, secretarial and other support to the Advisory Committee as the Minister considers necessary.

Youth Work Committees