Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking over while the Minister for Social Protection takes a break. For the past two hours the social protection committee has discussed the Youth Guarantee. We have asked many questions and received many answers so I do not intend to thrash out the issue again. Matters were raised and perhaps those who were not attending may wish to know about them. Young people need hope and they must know that the Government is working for them and their future so as to keep them in Ireland and avoid emigration. All they want is help to stay in their own country, and parents and grandparents are asking for the same thing. The Youth Guarantee is a step in the right direction, although it is only functioning in Ballymun now, and we need to see it rolled out to the rest of the country.

We put many questions at the meeting to the officials from the Department of Social Protection, including how the Ballymun scheme was working and its success rate. They told me over 400 young people were on the live register there and a big event took place that involved the young people, employers and education providers. Only 32 people did not turn up, which means that young people are willing to participate and engage; these people want to work and do not want to be at home all day, playing video games or being depressed because they have no job or money. It is incumbent on us to provide a process for these people. There are 99 people now in full-time and sustainable employment, with 193 taking courses in development training and the remainder being engaged with. It is a good response in Ballymun and, as everybody has said, we must roll it out to the rest of Ireland. We should not write off young people as lazy because they are not. Some are involved in local activities on a voluntary basis because they have nothing better to do. These people want to use their energy and channel it into the community so as to bring about improvement. There is much good in young people and we must bring it out in them.

We have debated this issue many times and I have brought up a number of examples. I raised another example at the committee meeting today and an official assured me it would be considered. The case involves a young man who left school, possibly without the junior certificate and certainly without a leaving certificate. He decided to return to education, taking a Springboard course on culinary arts at the Institute of Technology, Tralee.

He was delighted with it and he did very well. He was on work placement for two days a week. When the course came to an end recently his work experience placement employer offered him summer work to keep him going until he starts his next course, which is an intensive course. The fees were funded by Bord Fáilte and the course was provided by the IT in Tralee. He was in an awful state when he came to see me because if he took up the offer of summer work he would not qualify for the back to education payment as he would have to give up his jobseeker's allowance for the summer. There was a deterrent to stop him taking up work. The Youth Guarantee must ensure that young people will not be penalised for doing work during the summer to help to finance them through the winter when they are back in college or finishing their education. The social welfare officers assured me they would examine the matter but I do not wish it to be solely examined in my area, I wish to ensure that it does not happen anywhere in the country.

Very few new industrial jobs are being created in Killarney and we survive on tourism and the hospitality sector. The CERT training course that was in place was great for the hospitality sector but it no longer exists. We have adequate hotel accommodation and bars in Killarney to provide work placements. I am probably straying from social protection into education but we should examine the reintroduction of such courses. Hotels used to look to CERT for employees because they knew they received a good education and experience.

The delivery of training places in a large urban area is totally different to the delivery of training places in rural areas. If one is living in the Iveragh Peninsula or the Dingle Peninsula and has to travel to Cork for third level education there is a huge barrier for young people due to the lack of affordability of accommodation and travel. The back to education allowance or whatever other payment exists would not cover their costs. If one is on the back to education allowance, one does not qualify for a maintenance grant from the Department of Education and Skills. We must examine the barriers that exist.

It has been said that youth unemployment is falling but it is difficult to get the exact figures. One of the reasons for the decline is due to emigration and another reason is continuing education. I do not believe my time is up, Acting Chairman.