Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In response to Senator Devine, we propose to make some changes in respect of those who are under 25, that is, in respect of the 18 to 24 year olds in this particular Bill. It is something that Senator Warfield in particular has been seeking, as well as others in the Dáil, for the last number of years. Just because I am making the changes does not necessarily mean that I have changed the view I have expressed previously a number of times. The live register is no place for anybody aged 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22. We should not lose sight of the ambition that we should want our young people not to be on the live register. If, God forbid, they do not have work, which can be the case for a variety of reasons and not just the fact that there is no work, there are other social barriers they are experiencing now that must be addressed in a specific, targeted way. There are so many other things they could be doing with the employment opportunities that are there, the enhanced training opportunities, the back to education allowances and the community supports that are available. In other words, there are many other options that at least are on the ambitious pathway back to work. That is what we should want and that I want for younger people. While this may be seen to be acquiescing to the requests, it is also acknowledging the fact that some of our younger people are living independently and one cannot do that on €100. The age of 25 is probably not as young as it used to be previously. I have ambition to ensure that our rate of unemployed people under 25 years of age, which is far too high at 12%, will come down to be in line with our unemployment rate of 4.8% and dropping among the over-25s. I thank the Senator for acknowledging that it has been done.

I am gutted about the same-sex amendments not being ready. They are not even my amendments. They come from the Department of Justice and Equality. I had hoped that this Bill, which was the next legislation in the queue, would have been able to facilitate them. We all believe that we are speedier at doing things than others are. I would have loved it had they been in this Bill but they are not ready and I cannot make that Department give me something it tells me is not ready. The only other thing I can do is that in early January, there will be a civil registration Bill and we will ensure that the provisions are included in that. We have been arguing for it for too long and the Senator is dead right, in that this has been going on since 2015. The sad thing about this is that the civil registration part of the package that needed to be done is all done. The Senator was here with me last year when it was passed. We cannot commence something that is reliant on something else to be commenced, because I would be commencing something that is not there in Parts 2 or 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act from the Department of Health, or in these two particular amendments on adoption rights from the Department of Justice and Equality. That is not saying that it is their fault. We are all in this together but it is an terrible pity that it could not be done in this particular Bill.