Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will launch the Pathways to Work scheme on 12 July. The best way that we can help young people is by helping them to get back into employment so that has to be the priority. I will outline the different schemes at that stage. There will be intensive work to assist people to get back into employment because it has been a difficult time. I was keen to support young people during the pandemic. Students received the pandemic unemployment support because I was aware that students lost their jobs as everybody else did. I was glad that we were able to do that. Approximately 47,000 students received the pandemic unemployment payment. As the economy has reopened, that has decreased by about 20,000. That leaves many young people and students who may have finished college and we want to give them all of the support that we can to get them back to work.

See this speech in context