Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the national recovery plan announced yesterday and the massive supports we will continue to give regarding the employment of people through the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS. In February, almost 500,000 people were supported under the scheme. While there will be reductions in the pandemic unemployment payment from September, there will be no cliff edge for employees supported by the EWSS, as it will continue until the end of the year. I recall Opposition Deputies telling us in the Chamber last year that we would leave people hanging when public health restrictions were reinstated, but we did no such thing. We maintained our supports in response to pandemic unemployment when it was impossible for people to go out to work. Should there be any change with further restrictions imposed, which I hope there will not be, the Government will not be found wanting.

I turn to what is included for young people in the plan. There is provision for expanded education including further education, apprenticeships and employment supports. All of that comes under the new youth employment charter, which will help thousands of young people throughout the country. I am pleased with that because the youth guarantee scheme that was piloted in Ballymun under a European Commission project, which saw great benefits on the ground, will now be rolled out throughout the country. I frequently criticise the 2011-16 Government in the Chamber, but I should give credit to the former Deputy John Lyons, who piloted that programme and was proud of it. Not only will young people in Ballymun see the benefits of it being rolled out nationally but now, equally, thousands of young people throughout the country will see them too. That is a very welcome development.

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