Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

There are plenty of doctors out there and they need to be brought in. It is too late for the Minister of State to say that they have to be trained. The Government has been in office for nine and a half years. It has had its chance to do this but has not done so.

I know what the Minister of State means when he says that young people will claim there is nothing to do. While I acknowledge money has been spent to address this aspect, there are still places where young people genuinely have nothing to do. They will get into trouble if there is nothing to do. Providing one skateboard park for teenagers in County Offaly is fantastic. Great improvements have been made in the provision of playgrounds. However, children lose interest in playgrounds by the age of ten or 11. After that, there are not sufficient resources available for young people. The youth work sector has not been sufficiently resourced. This must be addressed as it will prevent young people from embarking on a chain of events. It is not the case that there is plenty for young people to do now. I can empathise with them when I hear them say that they have nothing to do.

See this speech in context