Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's central point concerns the importance and capacity of our young people to measure up to the challenges that are undoubtedly coming. Corporation tax has been a cornerstone of foreign direct investment here, from whatever country, as well as issues including technology and the track record of our people. By far the most important issue is the talent pool of young people coming through. That is a combination coming out of the secondary system and engaging with business, institutes of technology or universities. Firms and investors look at the range of talent of young Irish people who measure up to the highest standards. I have seen evidence of this in talking to people about challenges in the software, pharma, robotics and electronic engineering sectors. Young Irish people have introduced innovative changes that affect businesses in so many ways.

The Deputy also referred to youth services, which are a matter for consideration by Ministers as they prepare for October's budget. I recently met with representatives of Foróige and have seen the extraordinary work they have done over so many years. It is true that there have been reductions in the allocation to youth organisations as part of the overall cutbacks that applied for a number of years due to the economic situation. Clearly, these are cases that can and will be made in preparing for the budget in future.

The Deputy mentioned career guidance teachers. As he knows, for some time secondary schools have been demanding greater independence in this regard. The decision by the previous Minister for Education and Skills was made in light of that. One must consider that the vast majority of people to be employed in the next ten years will be engaged by companies that have not yet been established and whose products have not been progressed beyond a concept. The world ahead is changing rapidly. Teachers now need to be more than just deliverers of information because all that information - perhaps too much of it - is available to young people anyway in multitudinous forms. They must therefore decide and define what the priorities are and what is really important.

See this speech in context