Ms Valerie Duffy:

I thank the Senator. In the grand scheme of things, the challenges we face relate to conflict at local, national and global level. We also have issues of climate change. Then we have young people who, as the Senator said, are unable to afford a home of their own or for whom the cost-of-living crisis is an everyday issue. There is a good deal of hope among young people. It is not all doom and gloom. There are many who are really determined to make a difference. They want to improve their lives and those of other young people within their communities and the lot of future generations. They also have an eye on what is happening at international level.

Regarding the youth pact for the future, during the consultation process we held in March, young people were very clear about a number of key issues that they wanted to see progressed. Among those is that young people should be seen as key stakeholders in decision-making and policy-making and that it is not just young people who would have everyday access or be the most proficient at making speeches. They want those who are most marginalised in society to also have a voice. They were very much looking at solidarity, making the connections between personal, local, national and global issues.

There are a number of issues we could go into. There is always an issue about funding for youth services at a local and regional level in particular. A lot of good work is done at the coalface of Irish society by youth workers who often have precarious conditions or may be on low pay. They are doing absolutely quality work. They are doing one-to-one work, group work and supporting some young people who need just access to that one good adult. The latter has an absolutely transformational effect on those people's lives. One of things we would like to see in the future is greater recognition of youth work.

Regarding the Bill and looking to future generations, the issue in many ways is that if we are caught up in a challenge or a crisis we can act in a short-term way and, therefore, maybe not look to the future to see what the effects of making a decision today can have on future generations. It is really important that we have this kind of joined-up thinking and that we take into account the impact the decisions we make today might have on young people and on future generations.