Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the witnesses for attending and taking the time to present to us. I have to take a Topical Issue debate in the Dáil shortly and I apologise in advance as I will have to leave early.

We are all very aware of the youth unemployment crisis and need to find solutions quickly that mean something to people. We have spent the past four or five years talking about the credit bubble, the problem with mortgages, different reports and proposals and we are still talking about them. It would not be acceptable to spend the next two or three years talking about the youth guarantee and what it could mean. We need to see real solutions. Like other members, I have been approached by young people to ask what can be done for them having completed a JobBridge internship. They are unable find a job. Mr. O'Connor from USI has pointed out that 120,000 people aged under 24 years have left the country in the past four years. That is the equivalent of two full years of leaving certificate students, given that 55,000 students sat the leaving certificate examinations this year. That is the level of the crisis.

On what will the €14 million allocated in the budget be spent? Can we get a breakdown of where the money will go and what it means? At the same time as €14 million was allocated €32 million was taken away from young people in the payments given to them. On the one hand, €32 million is taken out and, on the other, €14 million is given back, but we say we are serious about providing job guarantees and pathways.

Mr. Doorley of the National Youth Council of Ireland referred to the sum of €300 million to adopt the Swedish model. I ask him to elaborate somewhat on what he means by the Swedish model.

I welcome Ms Horgan from the Tipperary Regional Youth Service. She has said many of the young people with whom she deals may be apathetic towards work based on their background. They wonder why they should take up an opportunity and are unsure about how to present a CV. In some instances they are handing over crumpled CVs. Given that they are coming to her as mature young adults, what does this say about the education system? She is meeting them at a stage when it might be more difficult to change culture and attitudes. For young people in that category, what can we do differently to try to impart knowledge and address and shape attitudes along the way?

Mr. O'Connor of USI has said the youth guarantee should address the issue of graduate unemployment as opposed to just targeting certain socioeconomic groups. What suggestions does he have to make on graduate unemployment and how the JobBridge programme might target it?