Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a brief question that I shall mainly direct at Mr. Garrahy. I was an ERASMUS student in Verona, Italy, around 1999 or 2000 so I know that an emphasis was not placed on formal education. However, the experience was an extremely maturing process for me. I returned home with a renewed focus on the wider implications of studying and needing to get on well. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Mr. Garrahy mentioned ERASMUS babies and people meeting their partners while studying. My parents were not too thrilled with who I met while an ERASMUS student. I would say they are damn glad that I did not end up with them long-term, but that is neither here nor there.

On a more serious note, one of the most depressing statistics to emerge from the Brexit referendum is that almost 80% of people under 25 who were eligible to vote wanted to remain while a similar percentage of those over 65 voted to leave. A lesson that young people can learn from Brexit, although one wonders if it has been learned, is to get out and vote. Does Mr. Garrahy have any ideas on how to engage young people and encourage them to vote? There is a lot of discussion about the UK election at the moment. The UK political parties, especially the Labour Party, are trying to get young people to vote. Statistics show that the older a person is, the more likely he or she is to vote and that the group comprising those over 65 is the largest demographic to vote. What can be done on a practical level to encourage people to vote that policymakers may not have thought of? Does Mr. Garrahy think people should be able to vote from the age of 16? I am dubious whether reducing the age at which one can vote would have a positive effect. Perhaps politics should be added to the school curriculum or something along those lines. That is all I have to say and I thank the witnesses for attending.