Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have been talking about this issue since the formation of the current Dáil. We are seeing a lost generation of young people leaving our shores. People have referred to the reduced voter turnout in the Meath East by-election, but if one looks at the statistics, one will see that approximately 5% of the electorate have left the constituency owing to emigration. This shows how serious the jobs issue is.

Will funding for the youth guarantee scheme be dependent on the European Union? When will the scheme happen and is the Government of a mind to push ahead with a youth guarantee scheme if there is no EU funding or if there is a waiting period? We made a strong point at the joint committee that a youth should not just be provided with training and reactivation programmes but that a job should be part of the opportunity.

See this speech in context