Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are weeks away from Christmas. For many young people, this will be an incredibly difficult time because it will be their first time away from home for Christmas. These are young people who have been forced to go abroad because they feel they have no ability to build a life here. Some families will have the delight of having their children home only to have the gut-wrenching experience of them leaving again after Christmas to return to Australia, Canada and beyond.

We have heard again today that more young people are leaving our shores. This is the legacy of the Government. Why is the Government continuing to fail our younger generation? Many of them feel they have no choice but to leave.

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