Ms Marie-Claire McAleer:

I was not surprised about the data. I had not considered the proportion. I thought the number going to the EU was quite high given that recession has affected the European states but I believe language is a big factor in where people emigrate to and it is not a coincidence that people are choosing North America, Australia and even New Zealand because of language. I am surprised people are still going to the UK. It is closer to home but it has also been hit by recession. It would be remiss of me not to say that in our research we encountered many who struggled to get jobs initially and had many teething problems. We have a recommendation in our report, which is not particularly relevant to this committee, on the need for pre-departure supports to ensure people are informed about the countries to which they are going and what to expect.

In response to Senator Kyne's question, foreign language is a key factor. I remember business graduates in one of the focus groups saying that there are jobs in Ireland that Irish people cannot do, even though they have first class honours degrees in business, because they do not have the language skills or the required fluency and employers therefore have to fly people over to do the job. It is a big issue.