Ms Maria Walsh:

I want to pick up on Deputy Neale Richmond's question on mental health. I campaigned on mental health and have been doing so for many years. We often talk about issues that we have been talking about here for the last couple of hours. We talk about the future of Europe and about trade, and we will be talking about Brexit, no doubt, and each and every one of these aspects requires a healthy citizen at the very core. We, as citizens of the EU, as members of Governments and as leaders within institutions, need to ensure that each and every one of our citizens is being protected, and mental health has to be part of this conversation.

Deputy Richmond asked specifically what can be done. There are a couple of things. Next week, I chair a meeting of the MEP Alliance for Mental Health and GAMIAN-Europe. We are drawing a roadmap of what a European year of good mental health will look like. We are already speaking with the health Commissioner and we are fortunate in this mandate that the Commissioner has experience and a background in child psychology, so she is understanding of the impact of mental health on our citizens. That meeting will take place next Tuesday. If any member watching this would like to submit ideas to me, please do so. Everything that is submitted will be addressed in that meeting. That is how we consistently engage and continue this conversation, so we do not just have these great, needed conversations such as we are having today, but continue to work towards protecting our citizens in a more holistic way.

As I said, we are delivering a European year of mental health, drawing that roadmap and working with the Commission. We need to lobby our leaders and NGOs that are trying to support the message around good mental health. We need to ensure this conversation around mental health happens at grassroots level in town halls and in constituency branch meetings. We need to ask the very simple questions, “How are you doing?" or "How is your mental health?”, and then guide our citizens and ourselves towards a more positive mental health in the future.

On Deputy Howlin’s point about the future of Europe, it really comes down to education. The Deputy raised the question, for our citizens and for ourselves, of what the EU really stands for. For example, what are the skills gaps we are looking at, be it in green or digital cohesion, and how can we fill them? I am currently working on a file on vocational educational and training. I put forward an idea around bridging skills gaps and traineeships, apprenticeships and opportunities for our younger people in particular, or lifelong learners, and how we can do a one-stop shop across the EU in tying our educated employed to those who are looking for opportunities. This will apply particularly after the Covid pandemic, when we see a loss of jobs and the impact on our economy, so that, together, we work across the European Union at driving a more positive future of Europe.

We are at a crossroads and - perhaps it is due to the day that is in it - the anxiety is quite high in terms of the wave of change we are seeing and the wave of change which I thought we might see in the US elections. We would be ignorant if we thought we were not seeing those waves of change – xenophobia, homophobia and the rise of racism - in our European Union. As a country and as leaders who thrive on solidarity, democracy and having honest conversations with Opposition Members, we are not seeing the same within the European Union countries that we sit at tables with and have discussions with to try to build a stronger European Union. I am very fearful that if President Trump gets re-elected, we will see more cop-out and see other countries move away from the Paris Agreement. We see that right now around fundamental rights and protecting citizens, be it in terms of LGBTQI communities or women's rights, and we will continue to see that rolled back unless we start getting very vocal and honest with our citizens about what democracy looks like. We need to really champion within the future of Europe conversation the rise of disinformation and lack of democratic voice within our governments.

I will leave it at that. I look forward to more questions. I repeat that, next Tuesday, we meet as the MEP Alliance for Mental Health and GAMIAN-Europe on building a stronger roadmap for the future of Europe in mental health. Any colleagues who have suggestions across the Houses should send them to me and I will be happy to incorporate them in the roadmap.