Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I was surprised the Minister of State did not refer to the content of a recent report, Inequality and the Stereotyping of Young People. The young are often portrayed by the media in the wrong context, with articles referring to joyriding, drug related activity and so on, which tarnish all young people. Though regrettable, this is proven by the report, which contains interviews with young people about stereotyping and the difficulties they encounter.

I would have liked the Minister of State to attend the Funding Fairness event during the week and talk to the students involved, who are the seed corn for the future. They are mostly under 25 and will soon be graduates. The Minister of State should in particular consider the situation whereby 66 bodies throughout the country distribute higher education grants, resulting in long delays in payments to students. Many students who are outside the basic minimum guidelines must pay high tutorial fees and the cost of maintenance. The grant application process should be streamlined to ensure payments are made more quickly than normal. Developments should aim to make young students happy with the structures that exist.

The system is unfair in the context of debate in the Houses on upskilling. People may move to different occupations many times during their working lives. They will often study part-time and must pay fees to do so. If incentives were to operate, courses would be free of charge. Those who study part-time are often the educationally disadvantaged, who are trying to improve themselves, or people with other commitments — they might be married, have young children or be in long-term relationships. Rather than having financial and other deterrents, incentives should be provided to encourage such people to achieve whatever upskilling is required.

The young of today live in a more difficult environment than the one in which the Members of this House grew up. The pressures on them are different, a point which is regrettably highlighted by the number of young people who terminate their own lives due to frustration and otherwise. It is rare now to find a young person wearing a Pioneer pin, which points to the type of peer pressure which exists. A macho image is created by the media, particularly on television, whereby a person is deemed macho if he has a pint of lager in his hand but is thought a softy if he is drinking a cola or an orange. That was not the type of pressure with which any of us grew up. There is also pressure on parents of young children at second level school with regard to designer labels. Mothers at home are put under particular pressure to try to accommodate the wishes of their children, who want to be the same as others.

All of these components can be related to the problem of binge drinking among the young, as it is projected in our society. In many cases graduates have a responsible approach to smoking and their own health. Unfortunately, however, all young people seemed to be tarnished with the same image and stereotyped as being out to create trouble, as suggested by the report, Inequality and the Stereotyping of Young People.

In that context, what action are we taking with regard to the large housing developments which are appearing throughout the country? The last thing to happen with regard to these developments is the provision of a structure for those who live there. Young people in these areas often get to know each other but if they congregate at corners or outside houses in what are perceived as gangs, they are called troublemakers. If they play football or another activity in a green area, they are not troublemakers. In many cases we do not provide proper structures for the young.

I will not go into detail of what has been achieved with regard to the various bodies such as the National Youth Council, which is doing good work. However, at political level there are many decisions we, as politicians, could take which would impact on the young and create a better lifestyle and future for them. These matters are within our control. Having met and listened to members of the Union of Students in Ireland during the week, and having read its report, I believe it deserves to be commended for highlighting the difficulties and inequities which exist in the system. I hope the Minister for Education and Science will respond to the difficulties the union has highlighted.

I put forward those points in the context of our changed environment. I am particularly mindful of decisions that can be made at ministerial level which can improve the lifestyles of young people. We would all agree that the stereotyping of young people that is taking place is wrong. Most young people in our communities are responsible, try to do the best they can and can ill afford the consequences of being stereotyped. I hope that we as politicians will do much to discourage such stereotyping.