Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach. Gabhaim buíochas leis an bPáirtí Lucht Oibre as ucht an rún seo a chur síos toisc go dtugann sé deis don Seanad an cheist seo a phlé. Beidh mé ag tacú leis an rún. Sin ráite, dá mbeinn féin ag scríobh an rún, rachfainn i bhfad níos faide na an Páirtí Lucht Oibre ag cáineadh an Rialtas. Tuigim nár chuaigh siad chomh fada sin ionas go mbeimid uilig in ann tacaíocht a thabhairt don rún. Tá an leasú atá curtha síos ag Seanadóirí as páirtithe an Rialtas náireach, go h-áirithe ós rud é go bhfuil siad ag iarraidh ar an Teach comhghairdeachas a dhéanamh leis an Rialtas nuair atá fios damanta maith againn agus acu go bhfuil slad déanta acu ó thaobh fostaíocht ar fud na tíre, go h-áirithe ó thaobh daoine óga atá dífhostaithe agus gan todhchaí breá rompu toisc na fadhbanna eacnamaíochta a chur an Rialtas sinn ann.

I welcome the motion tabled by the Labour Party Senators and I congratulate them on facilitating this important debate. The tone of the motion is one that seeks to achieve consensus and I do not see why we cannot do so. Last Monday, my colleagues on Donegal County Council tabled a motion calling for action on youth unemployment and they secured unanimous support on the issue. Relatives of Senators voted in support of the motion. The reality is that behind all the statistics is a human story and a story of hardship. It is important for us to ensure we do whatever we can in whatever capacity or role we have to address this terrible situation in which so many people find themselves unemployed.

The Leader must have seriously blushed when he drafted the amendment. It is beyond the best work of fiction to think the Seanad would commend the Government parties on their work in tackling unemployment when every month the CSO figures reinforce the fact that unemployment is escalating drastically, with 50% of young males unemployed in some areas. There is a need to take serious action. We all understand the position the country is in and the decisions the Government must make. Politics is all about decisions and priorities. I acknowledge it is easier for the Opposition to put forward proposals because we do not have to implement them but the decisions made by the Government have a serious effect on people's lives. I say confidently the Government has not implemented the right policies or taken the right decisions. We have seen this time and again, unfortunately, through the different policy proposals the Government has led, always favouring those who are most well off. It has dealt with the banking crisis but, unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of unemployed and young people, it has not placed the same focus on dealing with their problems.

I have been talking about the high levels of unemployment in my own county of Donegal for the past decade. I have had to endure the sight of the Taoiseach or former Taoisigh and other Ministers coming to my area, whether it is to the MacGill Summer School or other events, and talking about how great the country was, saying they could not find people in during they day when they were canvassing because we had a zero unemployment rate. That was at a time when in County Donegal, at the height of the Celtic tiger, there was an unemployment level of around 18%. Elected Members from the west know we have always had higher levels of unemployment than in the rest of the country, but Donegal is the county that has been hit the hardest and the position is particularly bad in Donegal South-West. As I said, at the height of the Celtic tiger,the unemployment rate in County Donegal was 18%. Since then we have seen unemployment levels double in the county. In my constituency 2,269 people under the age of 25 years are registered with the social welfare office. State-wide, we know that more than 85,900 young people are signing on. I am being parochial, but County Donegal has been at the bottom of the barrel in terms of employment. Even when money was available, we did not see any substantial effort to create or sustain employment opportunities for young people in the county.

A number of years ago, when Deputy Mary Coughlan was given the role of Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, it was welcomed by everyone in Donegal South-West because if there was anything we needed in that constituency, it was jobs. However, when I asked the Minister about the number of companies supported by the IDA in County Donegal, I received the answer that there were 12. On being asked the location of these companies, she would not answer. The reason she did not answer this parliamentary question from my colleague was she did not want me or the people of Donegal South-West to know that out of the 987 companies supported by the IDA in the State, only two were in her constituency.

I am sure she does not want us to know either that since she became Minister, not one site visit has been conducted by the IDA in the constituency. Donegal South-West is the constituency with the highest level of unemployment in the country and the most young people unemployed, yet there has not been one site visit in the last three years and only two companies supported by the IDA — one quarter of 1% of the total — are located in that area, although it is the Minister's home constituency. This shows the lack of imagination, application and policy decision-making on the part of the Government, all of which are needed if we are to tackle the problems experienced not only in Donegal South-West but throughout the State.

The decisions taken by the Government, particularly in the recent budget, have hit the 2,500 people in my area under the age of 25 years who are unemployed. The decision to cut jobseeker's allowance to €100 for 20 and 21 year olds and €150 for 22 to 24 year olds is one of the worst it has made. How can it differentiate between a 24 year old and a 34 year old? It has targeted young people because it thinks they are easy pickings. We saw this again with the 5% reduction in third level maintenance grants. Some 2,500 students still have not received the first instalment of their grant. I know from trying to help people in my own area that, unfortunately, some of them have dropped out of college. These are all statistics. We can talk about figures until the cows come home, but unemployment destroys lives. It destroys opportunities and the chances that these young people could enjoy. What we need to do is not simply to attack the Government and say it is not doing enough. Last year we offered 80 costed proposals on how to get Ireland back to work. I ask the Minister of State and his colleagues to consider this.

I will finish with an example.