Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Airím ní hamháin an tacaíocht ach an tacaíocht iomlán atá ann don Bille seo agus gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Warfield agus leis an Seanadóir Ruane as é a chur ós ár gcomhair inniu. I rise very much in support of the Bill. I rise very much in support of the mechanics of it but also very much in the sentiment of it as well. While, to be fair, elements of the debate have been very fair up to this point, it is also the case, as we have heard this afternoon, that politicians sometimes fall into the trap of showering young people with platitudes. There is this notion of "Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí". We have the opportunity to do something to respect, embolden, empower and enfranchise young people today so why would we not take it? Why would we not want to give young people a say in how the State is run? They are impacted by it. As many have said, young people can be taxed at 16 and do a whole range of things.A Fine Gael contributor made a point about how much the State impacted on the lives of young people, be it through the courts system, education or so on. The State permeates every aspect of their lives, yet they do not have a say in the Government's policy direction. That is a shame and runs contrary to broader popular opinion, which wants young people to be entrusted with something. That would inspire them to get involved in civic and political life. We cannot teach people how to get involved. We must entrust them.

We have heard much today. We are all visited by schools and in turn visit them, youth clubs, etc., but it is not the case that young people only exist in schools, do not have lives beyond the classroom and do not have emotions, experiences, working lives, etc. We are doing young people a disservice if we only see them through that prism. I do not view them that way. The bulk of young people whom I meet are political activists. They were involved in the election in the North a few weeks ago. They were getting dressed up as crocodiles and demanding their rights as Irish speakers. They took to the steps of Stormont two days ago because they wanted a positive, equality-driven resolution to the talks process. They are the young people whom I see. Why would we not trust them with a vote? That is the core question today.

Since entering this institution, it has been my experience that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil do not like giving people votes, be those people who are 16 years of age, the diaspora, Irish citizens in the North-----