Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming back to the House to discuss this issue, as she promised to do the last time she was here. The volume of contributions on the youth guarantee shows that it almost merits another day of discussion. Unfortunately, rent supplement is not getting the attention it deserves.

I will raise some issues that young people have mentioned to me and some that arose at a European Commission conference in Brussels last April. The European Youth Forum asked if there will be additional opportunities for young people to get back into the system if their first chance fails. There are not enough case workers in the system. How realistic is it to say there will be 100% meaningful engagement with long-term unemployed youths when the extra supports they need, such as career guidance, may not be available?

Other issues beyond the availability of places on courses and placements need to be addressed. I and others working in the youth sector are worried about the compulsion and penalties attached to the JobBridge scheme for disadvantaged youths. The Senators who attended the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection this morning have referred to the discussion there. We were told there that the scheme is mandatory when the case worker decides the person would benefit. Will that intensive effort be put into the personal plan to ensure it benefits the person? I am concerned about the process and how to make sure those positions are completely suited to the young people involved. The Pathways to Work plan mentions work preparation courses prior to commencement. The committee was told that this scheme operates on a four day week and the fifth day is for training. What kind of training will be provided? What shape will these courses take?

Having young people with skills but no jobs is a big problem. The youth guarantee should not focus on what happens at the end of compulsory education. It then falls under the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills. What work will be done in schools to pre-empt early school-leavers from falling into the category of not being in employment or education?

At the conference in Brussels we heard that this is the most certified, not necessarily the most educated, generation. What monitoring is there of the education and training aspects of the guarantee to ensure that the personal and professional development path participants pursue allows them reach their potential? What role or weight is being given to the informal learning aspect of the youth guarantee plan? The youth organisations I have met stressed the importance of informal learning and the skills one may acquire prior to entering a course or getting certification from the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, or the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, HETAC. I was advised there was a bilateral meeting in February on the plan. If that is true could the Minister give us an update on it? How will the youth guarantee feed into the country specific recommendations on the semester process and what indicators will have to be reported on?

We heard at the committee meeting today, and the Disability Federation of Ireland has also raised the point, that the youth guarantee does not cover young people on disability allowance or in receipt of the one-parent family payment. The committee was advised that the funding is specifically aimed at the unemployed group. I think there is an International Labour Organization, ILO, classification for that. Can the Minister give us some more information on that and say whether those people are definitively excluded from education, training or a placement on the youth guarantee? The recommendation of the Council of the European Union on the youth guarantee refers to "all young people". I have spoken before about the treatment of young people who are not on the live register and do not have a relationship with public employment services. Stefano Scarpetta, the director of employment, labour and social affairs at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, raised that issue at the Commission conference last April.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the role of youth organisations.

They showed positive discrimination. Today was the first I heard of that so I have many questions about it. Positive discrimination may be dealt with but I will also touch on the issue of negative discrimination and cutting the jobseeker's allowance for young people just because of their age. Perhaps it could be dealt with or the measure could be reversed in the next budget. There may be legislation to positively discriminate against young people but should we remove negative barriers first?