David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of Senators from all sides of the House have called on us to maintain our focus on unemployment. Several Senators asked specifically for a debate on youth unemployment and the Leader has facilitated a number of debates on jobs. In that context I welcome the report published today by the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation which focuses on youth and long-term unemployment and makes 30 clear recommendations on what the Government and State agencies could do to tackle the high level of youth unemployment that obtains in this State.

I am undertaking work for the same committee to develop a jobs action plan for the south east, which has one of the highest unemployment levels in the State currently. In Waterford city we have 25% unemployment and 35% youth unemployment. Figures presented to us recently indicate that 48% of young people in Waterford city do not even finish second level education. These are startling figures and they will only be tackled and resolved if we put the resources behind the kind of policies that have been agreed at all-party level by the joint Oireachtas committee. It is incumbent on all of us to put our collective weight behind these proposals.

Perhaps the Leader will, rather than provide for a debate in a vacuum, facilitate a debate on youth unemployment in this House in the context of the all-party joint Oireachtas committee report that has been agreed and published. Is that something the Leader will agree to do in the next couple of weeks?