Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and thank him for all the work he has done in recent months. I thank my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, for tabling this Private Members' motion. I was listening in my office to the contributions, which have been very enlightening and positive. In particular, I listened to the contribution of Senator Lynn Ruane, which I found incredibly interesting with regard to the perception that when children have a tough upbringing certain people ask where were the parents and what were they doing. It is not as simple as this and it never has been. The Senator's contribution was very interesting.

When people speak on this subject they normally speak about their own experiences and sometimes this is all we can use as a basis for a contribution. I have been thinking about how to address this topic with regard to young people, the contribution they make and the difficulties they have had over the past year. Young people can be divided into three groups. There are extremely young children, toddlers and babies who have just been brought into this world in the craziest year we have ever had. My son is one of these. Parents naturally worry about the challenges that their children would not ordinarily have had in other years. It is simple things, such as interaction with other children and other people. I see it with my child. The number of people with whom he has interacted since he was born a year and a half ago is five or six. As a parent, I worry this might have a long-term effect. The challenge at this age is more about whether this will be seen further down the line.

Children who are of school-going age have been out of school and have not been with their friends. They have not had normal events such as holy communion, confirmation or gatherings of any kind, which are big things in children's lives at that age. That they do not have them is very difficult for them. It is probably hard for us to appreciate this.

Then we look at the challenges teenagers have, specifically those doing the leaving certificate and those who have started college. Students who have been in college for two years have not developed friendships because they have not been on campus. They have not had a normal college life. For most people who went to college, it is where they develop their personality and personal skills. Students have not had the opportunity to do this. Coming out of Covid, we need to recognise that many of the challenges people have had over the past two years will take a lot longer than two years to address. We need to be prepared for this.

Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke about supports for young people. At third level, the Minister, Deputy Harris, introduced more mental health supports and staff for students in colleges. The demand for mental health services in colleges has increased dramatically. We need to focus on this even more.

I see the good work done by groups in Tipperary, such as Youth Work Ireland Tipperary, and the support they give to so many people throughout the county. We are supporting many sectors at present and organisations such as this will need support long after Covid. In Tipperary we are lucky to have a Jigsaw service. It has been delayed because of Covid, like everything else, but Tipperary and Wicklow were chosen to have a Jigsaw service. Jigsaw is a mental health service for those aged between 12 and 25 and it has been hugely successful in other areas. It should be rolled out not just in Wicklow and Tipperary but throughout the country as quickly as possible. The need is there.

Many Senators spoke about the contribution young people can make to society and I have seen it in the youth wing of my party. Last month, Young Fine Gael voted in a new executive, led by the president, Art O'Mahony. I congratulate him and all of those elected. The contribution they make is important, wide and varied.Everyone has spoken about how young people can make such a huge contribution to society. Sometimes young people might think that can be condescending in a way, but it is not. If you look at the biggest changes we have seen in the past ten years, and only because I was watching "Reeling In the Years" on Sunday night, the marriage equality referendum and the campaign to repeal the eighth amendment were led by young people.

When we look at the exit from Covid-19, where we want to go from there and how society changes on the back of what has been the most traumatic year and a half in Irish history, perhaps this should be led by young people. The decisions we make going forward should be based on recommendations from some of those young people and groups. We have seen before that they are well capable of leading us, and generations even older than us, in the right way going forward. I thank my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, for bringing the motion forward and for the debate.