Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the director and his team for attending and for presenting this information to the committee. Their research and findings generally in regard to Ireland are very interesting and while it is very positive for Ireland in many respects, obviously, there is no room for complacency. As policymakers, we know this and know there are alarm bells in regard to public services, including childcare and public transport. I am certainly aware of this as a public representative in the greater Dublin area.

In the context of the two surveys on working conditions and quality of life, there is a view that young people of the upcoming generation are finding things difficult in regard to permanent employment. Has this been picked up in the surveys? Is much of the work young people are engaged in contract work or part-time work, and are there zero-hour contracts and so on? Are their living and working conditions deteriorating and what are the trends in that regard?

In terms of comparing and contrasting with other great states in the world, like Canada or Australia, how does the EU compare with the states many of our people are emigrating to, either on a short-term or long-term basis? What are the international comparisons between the EU and other nation states?