Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Never. I welcome her to the House and congratulate her on her appointment last year as a Member of the European Parliament, MEP. I know her long and distinguished career prior to that appointment. For 20 plus years, she was a Dublin city councillor who campaigned long and hard for the rights of the people of Dublin. She was probably one of the city's most effective lord mayors. I am delighted to hear today that she has recently been appointed rapporteur to the European Parliament on the draft EU regulation proposed by the European Commission to establish the ¤2.5 billion fund for European aid for the most deprived, or the feed fund as she called it. The fund will provide food and essential goods to deprived people, the homeless and children between 2014 and 2020. She stated that it would take over from the food distribution programme, but I would appreciate it if she would elaborate on the progress of this important initiative to date and on when we can expect its definitive adoption by the EU. I believe that it will come into effect in 2014.

That will be a full 12 months so could we be provided with more specific details on when exactly it is expected to be implemented?

We know the purpose of the European Union is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of the people. In agreeing the EU 2020 strategy in 2010, EU member state governments specifically set the task of reducing the numbers in poverty or at risk of poverty by at least 20 million by 2020, as has been mentioned. The fund is very welcome as it will replace the current food distribution programme, and I welcome views on how the fund will continue the task of reducing poverty and its effectiveness in doing so.

What will be the immediate tasks as rapporteur over the coming months and how important will be engagement with non-governmental organisations, NGOs, and specifically those which work with and on behalf of people living in poverty, the homeless and children? What important role will be played by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, as the incoming chair of the social affairs council?

I read recently that Ms Costello held a public information seminar in Dublin recently for the Irish NGOs interested in the new fund, which is very good. We must get to the heart of people who will be involved, as that is essential for any initiative to be successful. There must be communication. How effective was the seminar? In Ireland, over 300,000 people were suffering from severe material deprivation in 2010, which is a hard statistic. Ms Costello mentioned that this is a European fund but how can Ireland expect to gain from the fund? How difficult will it be to meet imposed deadlines?

The witness referred to the opposition seen in some countries. I agree that measures like this fund are needed more than ever as more people slip into the poverty trap because of the current economic crisis. I agree with Commissioner Andor's recent words in indicating that the fund is an expression of Europe's solidarity with its most vulnerable citizens and will provide them with relief and hope for a better future. I wish Ms Costello continued success in working with all sides to ensure the success of these ambitious new EU initiative. I may be slightly biased but I have no doubt that she is the right woman for the job.

I will briefly mention the proposed youth guarantee, and I appreciate how hard Ms Costello has worked on it. As she indicated, it is a topic on which she has spoken most since her appointment to the European Parliament. There were worrying figures reported yesterday of 27.7% of people under 25 being unemployed, and Ms Costello has referred to how youth unemployment can affect the young, both in terms of getting employment after being unemployed for a long period, and also from a health perspective. I particularly worry about the mental health issues with being unemployed for a long time. I am a mother of three children in third level education and welcome the youth guarantee, which will facilitate some form of apprenticeship, further education or a job offer within four months. That is vital and a youth guarantee is the best way to tackle employment. I also like the way the process will be person-centred rather than just offering a random course.