Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. Kalfin, Ms McCaughey, Mr. Mark McNulty, Ms Gilligan and Ms Grainger for coming here today. This has been a useful conversation. It is the first conversation we have had in the committee. If there are avenues that we could go down to keep the conversation going, that would be important. As Mr. McNulty pointed out, he referenced the Brussels bubble and Deputy Callery mentioned the potential Dublin bubble at Leinster House. However,there is also a bubble at local and regional levels. We need to try to help all those great organisations that are doing that work on the ground at grass roots level, whether it is Foróige, youth services or other voluntary agencies. A committee member will be happy to help.

I am reminded of a youth group from Lifford about a quarter of a century ago standing on a stage in Letterkenny with placards which read "Why speak when nobody listens". To this day, it has been a most effective message from young people. It is not just about listening, it is also about participation. Following that conference in 1996, the Donegal Youth Council emerged and is still there. People from the council, like Ewan Sweeney and Janet Gaynor from the HSE really knew the importance of youth participation at a local level. Those different youth representatives at a local level have grappled with serious issues from bullying to youth suicide to simple measures, such as getting shelters at a bus depot for those going to school. They dug down at a local level. If there is a role we can play it at a national level in terms of trying to help at a regional level - the buzzword at European level is "subsidiarity" level, we are here to do that.

Go raibh maith agaibh uilig faoi choinne an phlé inniu agus an taighde atá déanta agaibh fosta ar son na ndaoine óga. Tá an rannpháirtíocht iontach tábhachtach faoi choinne na ndéagóirí, iad siúd atá scoite amach ón bpobal agus atá i mbaol fosta. Gabhaim buíochas leis na finnéithe agus le baill an choiste.