Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)

As mentioned, the ESRI report states the number in employment will fall by 22,000 next year, but this will be masked by the emigration of 40,000, in addition to the 35,000 expected to emigrate this year. According to the CSO, there are 3,440 legally defined electoral divisions in the State. The ESRI estimates that 12 people per electoral division will emigrate next year - almost an entire GAA team. Using the same estimate, in a two year period at least 24 people in all of our local areas will emigrate. When I met my old school principal earlier this week, we reflected on the people who had attended my school. The large majority of those with whom I went to school have emigrated; every second one has emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. This is unacceptable. We should invite the Minster for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, to come to the House to speak about unemployment and, more specifically, youth unemployment and how the Government expects to realise its objective of creating a knowledge economy when all of our skilled graduates are emigrating. This is an incredibly important topic which we need to address as soon as possible. We need to open dialogue because we cannot afford to lose any more people to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We need them to rebuild the economy.