Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is very positive to see a number of Members of the House raise the issue of student nurses, which has been raised continuously by my colleague, Senator Hoey. Student nurses are the backbone of the health service and have been on the front line assisting us in the fight against this pandemic. It is also worth noting, however, that the fact that there is no payment constitutes a barrier to entry, particularly for people from working-class backgrounds. While we blame people for being unemployed, we do very little to help people be activated. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, released figures yesterday that show that unemployment has risen above 20% again, with younger adults most affected. An Irish Fiscal Advisory Council report released this week noted that the Government announced just a 20% increase in funding for labour activation measures, despite the fact that we have extremely high numbers in unemployment as a result of the pandemic and it will be difficult for people to find new jobs in the months ahead. We also have a worryingly high client-case worker ratio. The optimal figure is 150:1 but ours is 500:1. I would like a debate in the House on the issue of activation measures and the people who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic and who potentially will not be going back into the same jobs. This is vital if we are to get over this and get the economy back working. It is also vital for people to have access to resources so they are able to retrain and not be locked out of the workforce in the long term.