Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will do my best. I am delighted to welcome the people from Foróige. I have huge respect for that organisation and what it does. That has been enhanced today. I am also glad to see Mr. Seán Campbell and some of his youth workers here.

I will quickly address a few questions to the speakers whose contributions, it goes without saying, were excellent. My first question is for Evan. I am a teacher by background and the continuous assessment system can be very oppressive for young people. In some respects, as regards the traditional leaving certificate examination, we need to be careful about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In other words, there is a lot of merit in the leaving certificate system, although it does not suit some. Continuous assessment can be oppressive and very restrictive all the time. Evan might comment on that.

I am interested in Niamh's reference to VR. She might explain a little more how that works. Despite my apparent youthfulness, I am a little out of touch with that.

The last two contributions, around marginalisation, homelessness, housing and mental health issues, were wonderful. It took great courage for the speakers to give their own personal testimony and I admire them for that. I will raise two points. I am concerned about and, as the Chairman will know, have raised the issue of CAMHS on the Order of Business a few times. I am concerned about the waiting list to access CAMHS and the overcrowding of those services. I ask the contributors to comment more on that, without going through their personal stories as they have been very good on that, and how they think CAMHS works for people when they access it. How long is the waiting list for that? A great deal needs doing there.

Student accommodation on campus, and more of it, is a major part of dealing with the housing issue.