Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. I welcome all those in the Visitors Gallery, including the youth workers, volunteers and representatives of the youth groups. I acknowledge with deep gratitude the essential service they provide to the youth of the country. I had a speech written, but I do not want to regurgitate what has been brought up and I commend Senator van Turnhout on tabling the motion. I cannot start into what I wanted to say before addressing some of the remarks made by my colleague on the other side of the House.

As a former teacher and somebody who has been involved with young people for the past 27 years, I ask the Senator to reconsider what he said. The implication of what he said is that there are parents who do not teach their children how to behave or it is not being taught in school. In my experience the vast majority of children are innately good people given the opportunity. Transition year is the ideal year to allow our children to develop as people and to become good citizens. I could name countless children from first year to sixth year, many of whom have had no parental support in what they do or in how they are brought up, but they are the first people I would have relied on in school. They are the people who are the most considerate to people with disabilities, who seem to instinctively understand what other people are going through. It is inappropriate to stand up and say that because they have not got the parental support they do not end up as good people. Some of the best people in this country have come up through that.