Ms Phil Prendergast, MEP:

I will respond to the questions that have been posed. Otherwise, I will be less than comprehensive. I am conscious having been a Member of the House that even though at times it might seem that people are not listening I am aware that people have to attend committees. I am also extremely aware that the committees sit while the Seanad is sitting. I do not see the absence of Members as disrespectful.

I have made my views clear on the INMO. I do not agree with the termination of contracts. First, it is my considered opinion, having served on the national executive of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, having worked as a midwife for 23 years, and worked in front-line services, that the jobs graduates are filling are not new. Graduates are currently filling the positions and they are being asked to terminate contracts and return to the positions on 20% less pay. I have a fundamental problem with that. I do not agree that this is the correct way to treat nurses.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh inquired about youth unemployment. A total of 5.7 million young people are currently unemployed in Europe. Another 1.5 million work in precarious jobs. One in five of those aged between 15 and 24 who are in the labour market are without a job. Youth unemployment rates in Spain and Greece are more than 50%. In this country, youth unemployment is 32% or 61,000 young people. Members will agree those are fairly astounding statistics. In 2005 the European Council outlined employment policy guidelines, including that in the case of young people, every unemployed person would be offered a new start before reaching six months of unemployment. Subsequently, upon review, the period was reduced to four months. By 2010 the measure had not been implemented across the EU. Therein lies the difficulty. One can come up with great ideas but achieving the reality is difficult. A youth guarantee is now in effect. That is a positive step. Of course we need investment to avoid problems because a young unemployed person does not have the basis of experience.

There is a spiral that is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it leads to poor chances and poor outcomes for them. There are aspirational issues such as reducing early school leaving, making sure there are no skill mismatches and that courses fit a person's educational standards. There have been changes in education where courses are based on continuous assessment rather than by exams in a block at the end of the year.

The overwhelming response on the promissory note issue is positive. It is seen as positive for Ireland and is certainly better than what we had. It is a matter for discussion how we communicate that to our citizens and across Europe. It would be nice to take those parts we like and not take the parts we do not like but sometimes we must buy the entire package when we do not like all of its contents.

I feel humbled talking to Senator Colm Burke, someone who has served in the European Parliament and on the committee of which I am a member. We see the argument from both sides about how this Chamber could be given over even twice a month to European affairs. As one of the most frequent attenders at the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs, I was devastated when it was changed to a Tuesday because everyone knows that no matter what an MEP is doing, if he or she is not in Brussels on a Tuesday, except for during the constituency week, he or she is not doing his or her job. To go on Tuesday means missing two days in effect. For us a Thursday is a better day and I was delighted to see it has been moved back to Thursday on a temporary basis, although it has been on a week where I have had votes, and once a month I go to the plenary session in Strasbourg, which MEPs cannot miss. There are also group weeks, meeting weeks, committee weeks and the Strasbourg week for plenary session, when we all vote on legislation that has been going through the system. As a Senator, I was unaware of how things worked in Europe for MEPs so we could all do with some education on people's roles. It is easy to slag off someone when we do not know what a person is doing in a particular place. This system works.

The recognition of qualifications and insurance were mentioned. I agree that a doctor who comes to this country to practise cosmetic surgery should have to demonstrate his competence so those availing of his services can be confident in his ability. The qualifications must be verified because anything can be made to look real on paper. The professional qualifications directive allows for a process where if someone wanted to locate to another country having demonstrated a need for his speciality, there would be a procedure in place to ensure that doctor can safely practice.

The idea of a British referendum on leaving the European Union was mentioned. In my opinion, the carry-on of the MEPs in the European Parliament is a bit sad. They continuously heckle and shout. They only go there to do that. They do not attend any committees and therefore do not do any work. That is a difficulty where someone is making a political point and not prepared to engage with the process. It is not possible to be a Senator and not be involved in the work processes of the Seanad. Equally, a person cannot be an MEP and not have the workload that goes with committees and those who are part of the team.

Any decision down the line about Britain staying within the EU gives a welcome opportunity for the entire European project to be brought into the light because it gives us an opportunity to put a focus on it. We can then see what is going on because we get both sides of the argument. It gives us the opportunity to show what MEPs do and the importance of being part of the European Union and the Single Market.

Senator Barrett asked about the loss of an MEP. It has been proposed but we do not know yet if it will happen, although it appears certain. There might not be a national constituency because that would create difficulties for elections. We will observe this with interest and will try to maintain our representation in Europe. We tend to wear the green jersey in Brussels; we are quite parochial. Senators serve the country and although we try to do that, we also try to look after our own areas. It is important we have the opportunity to represent people in the way they want.