Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo. Tá sé iontach tráthúil go bhfuil an plé seo againn anocht sa Dáil agus aréir. Gan a bheith ag iarraidh a bheith ag scóráil pointí ar an Rialtas, sílim go dtéann an cheist seo thar na páirtithe polaitiúla agus thar na pobail ar fad, mar níl pobal ar bith sa tír nach bhfuil buailte le daoine óga a bhí orthu an tír a thréigint agus atá imithe thar sáile. Tá a fhios againn fá dtaobh den bhriseadh croí atá sa phobal agus atá ar aithreacha agus máithreacha agus ar cháirde agus a leithéid. Tá a fhios againn faoin scamall mór dubh atá thar an tír seo agus thar na pobail mar gheall go bhfuil go leor d'ár aosóg i gceantair cosúil le Nua Eabhrac, Londain, Perth, Canberra, Sydney agus a leithéid.

This debate will be very important only if we have focus from the Government on the plight of young people and the effect emigration is having on communities and families, if we can move forward in a way which refocuses the Government's energies and it gives a commitment to deal with this in a substantial way and not in a headline and spin way with regard to the youth guarantee. Over the past two days the small amount of funding being made available for the youth guarantee has been discussed. It will not make any substantial impact on the crisis we have with regard to emigration and youth unemployment, which stands at almost 30%.

Deputy McLellan pleaded with the Government to do something in respect of this matter and asked a very pertinent question as to the type of country with which we will be left if we do not deal with this crisis. Deputy Ó Caoláin referred to the number of young people who have emigrated. In total, some 250,000 people emigrated in the past four years. These individuals were of the view that, for one reason or another, better opportunities were to be had in greener pastures outside our borders. It is important, particularly in the context of our earlier debate on the exit from the troika programme, to ask the very important question as to who we are and what type of nation we have created. The public can never see them because they are for our eyes only, but all around the walls of the Chamber are busts of the patriots of 1916 and other bygone times. When I look at them, I sometimes ask myself about the nature of our country. Is this a country which is rearing its children for export? Is it a country of which we can be proud, particularly now that we have cut social welfare payments for young people in order to encourage them to get out of their homes and to stop watching their flat screen TVs? Is this a country of which we can be proud or has it ignored its young people and allowed 250,000 of its citizens, the majority of whom are young, to emigrate in recent years? Is this a country that is proud of the fact that over 29% of its young people are unemployed? The answer in this regard is no.

We can hide behind the troika, the financial crisis, the banking collapse, the economy etc. but if we want to take action, we can do so. What is missing is commitment on the part of the Government. Before I entered the Chamber I received an e-mail from my constituency office asking how to reply to a heartbreaking letter sent to me by a mother in Donegal who is concerned about her 25 year old daughter. The latter has a degree, she was involved in and enjoyed the JobBridge programme but she cannot obtain employment. She applies for jobs each week and visits the FÁS website regularly and looks at the same advertisements over and over again. The girl in question volunteers in her community and helps out local farmers because she does not want to be idle. Her only sibling has already emigrated and her mother is asking whether there is any light at the end of the tunnel for our very neglected county. Her mother also wants to know if we can give her any hope that things will get better in order that she might convince her daughter not to emigrate. This woman and others like her are waiting for such hope. Far too many mothers and fathers have been put into the position whereby millions of pixels dancing on a computer screen have replaced the embrace of their sons and daughters who have fallen on hard times in, for example, Perth in Australia. These people have been obliged to see their newborn grandchildren or their first cries or laughter via Skype.

We can take action, even within the confines of austerity, in respect of this issue. However, what is needed is for real focus to be placed on it.

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