Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le, tugaim aitheantas do agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle ar a ceapachán úr. Chuir sí ionadh mór orm inné. Tá caidreamh maith agus dearfach againn thar na blianta agus muid ag obair ar son na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta, na hoidhreachta, agus an chultúir. Táim cinnte go mbeidh sí iontach féaráilte, mar a deir daoine san iarthuaisceart, i dTír Chonaill, agus í sa Chathaoir.

Chomh maith leis sin, tugaim aitheantas do agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit úr, Teachta Niall Collins. Bhí mé ag labhairt leis inné. Táim cinnte go mbeidh a phost iontach tábhachtach amach anseo ó thaobh an chéad ghlúin eile. Beidh rudaí nua de dhíth. Beidh sé freagrach as rudaí a bheidh tábhachtach don chéad ghlúin eile, mar shampla, scileanna agus oideachas. Caithfimid breathnú ar bhealaí úra agus ar na poist nua a bheidh ann sa todhchaí. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis arís. Táim cinnte go mbeidh sé gnóthach sa Roinn. Gúim ádh mór air sa phost sin.

In 2011, the Canadian Government signed off on 10,000 visas for Ireland at a time when there was a mass exodus of young men and women from these shores. Many of them went to Canada, Australia, England and other parts of the world. They were certainly a lost generation. Many of them have not returned home. Some came back to set up lives here but, to concur with my colleague, Deputy Durkan, in the times we are facing, the safety net in terms of access to employment will not be available in the future for the younger generation. There is a question mark over whether that will happen. I believe that not only will we be looking at new opportunities and different pathways for young people, we will also see them moving back here from some of the destinations I mentioned, be it Australia, Canada or wherever.

With regard to where we will be moving to in the period ahead, this is a critical time for the third level sector in the context of upskilling, retraining, empowering and building capacity for our young people. We have to be not just graded in our thinking, we need to look at this in a way in which we have not looked at it previously. If we look back to the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and 2011 in terms of the Canadian visas, we see a pattern of emigration because we were unable to provide the necessary avenues for young people at home. We have to reflect on the disadvantages and the feeling young people had of being let down over decades. We have to face into an uncertain future. Every country is grappling with that but we have to look at what we have and what we have done. As he gets into the job and gets a feel for it, the Minister of State will see the proactive measures that have been taken in post-primary schools. He will feel the energy and see the different pathways and the different inter-relationships between guidance counsellors, for example, and local companies and the various apprenticeships that are offered. There will be an energy and a welcome for him but now, more than ever, we should grasp that opportunity. His party was very much involved in ensuring the addition of guidance counsellors but we cannot stop at that. We have to move further in that direction. That speciality will be very much needed in the future.

At a juncture such as this, when we are faced with this pandemic and the economic crisis, fear can sometimes become the backdrop to every conversation because we do not know what life will be like in the future but what we will have, in an enormously positive way, is that energy coming from our younger generation.

We must look also at the work that has started at a pan-European level whereby universities across Europe, including those in Ireland, are working together. If somebody from New York travels across the United States to get a job in California, that is not seen as emigration; it is seen as someone moving to get a job. We have to look at the opportunities and pathways that exist and at what we can do to link with universities in different countries because there are many opportunities in that regard.

That is at a policy level but the bottom line for many parents is that they are anxious to know what will be the next step for their son or daughter in terms of their education and the opportunities that will be available to them. We must always reflect on the fact that there will be confidence issues for many young people, and many parents, in terms of feeling secure about the future. We have to continue with the empowerment process and the good work happening throughout our schools sector. I have no doubt that the Minister of State will tap into that energy. Again, I wish him and his officials well in that regard.

While we are talking in this very modern building in the capital city of Dublin, life as we know it is changing on a daily basis. People are making decisions, possibly in respect of the work they will be involved in and where they will live. As a politician who represents Donegal, I will continue to focus strongly on the opportunities available at a local level and it has to encapsulate all Departments. There is no point in talking about what we can provide for young people in Donegal without providing the proper resources and the capacity in the third level sector or in terms of facilitating young people to build a home on land in their own county if that is what they wish. We need a clever, creative and nuanced debate about how we can facilitate and keep our young people at a local level. That is why the new Connacht-Ulster alliance is such an important venture. The presidents of IT Sligo, GMIT and Letterkenny IT have been working very hard and are united in ensuring that they will submit an application on behalf of the Connacht-Ulster alliance later this year. I have no doubt that the Minister of State will be keeping a very close eye on that matter. Not only do we have that opportunity of a university on the west coast, we also have the great opportunity for the cross-Border alliances. I refer to the reference to the Ulster University Magee Campus in the programme for Government and further collaboration with that institution also.

I reiterate that we are in a new place and that the Oireachtas has to be responsive to what people are thinking and planning for the future. If we do not respond to that, we will be failing another generation of young people. We have to ensure that they are given the most advantageous opportunities in the future.

Arís, gabhaim comhghairdeas don Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus í ag obair ar son ár n-oidhreacht, ár gcultúr agus ár teanga amach anseo. Tá mé cinnte go mbeimid ag obair ar na nithe seo trí chúrsaí oideachais, an tríú leibhéal fásta. Nascadar an dara leibhéal agus an tríú leibhéal agus tá an nasc sin iontach tábhachtach don chéad ghlúin eile. Ag éisteacht le daoine atá freagrach as na bunscoileanna agus na scoileanna dara leibhéal, tá an nasc sin iontach tábhachtach agus go mbeidh acmhainní ar fáil do mhúinteoirí agus na daoine eile a luaigh mé.

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