Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to be here in the Seanad to speak to this important motion. I thank Senator Seery Kearney for bringing it forward and I thank all the Senators for their contributions. A wide range of issues has been raised, some of which fall directly within my Department's remit while others are within the remit of my Cabinet colleagues. I will try to address as many as I can in the time allowed.

While it has always been the case that our young people should be supported and have their potential and contribution recognised and fostered, now more than ever, it is critical that this happens. I have regularly spoken about what young people do for society and I have said that their contribution often passes under the radar, which is regrettable. I have also spoken about the particular impacts the pandemic has had on young people, including the barriers to their communicating, engaging and interacting with each other which they have experienced over the past 14 months. As such, I mention the importance of supporting them as we come out of this crisis and move past it. I am happy, therefore, to support the motion and I will outline the work being progressed to try to address many of the challenges that are raised within it.

The Covid-19 health emergency and its economic and social impacts have disrupted nearly all aspects of life in Ireland. The OECD and other research bodies have noted that young people, especially vulnerable young people, have faced immediate challenges and risks in the areas of education, employment, mental health and disposable income. Senator Keogan quoted the work of Dr. Barra Roantree from the ESRI in this area. The research indicates that the mental health and well-being of young people have been significantly impacted and shows the possible longer term social and economic consequences of the crisis.

As part of my Department's research partnership with the ESRI, last year we commissioned the report, The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for policy in relation to children and young people: a research review. This research focused on the expected impact of Covid-19 on children and young people. It was published last July and provided early evidence of the negative long-term impacts of the pandemic. It stated, as Senator Pauline O'Reilly noted, that these negative impacts would be felt worst by the most disadvantaged in our society.

Subsequently, my Department commissioned a survey of young people to hear from them directly about their experiences of Covid-19, in particular about its impacts on their well-being, with a view to informing how youth services and other services across government could best respond to the needs of young people. The results of this survey, How's Your Head? Young Voices During COVID-19, underline the experiences of many young people. The survey found isolation, boredom, anxiety, loss of income and other difficulties. It showed that young people miss their families and friends. This was one of the findings that emerged most clearly from the work. Young people expressed concerns around isolation and loneliness and about the lack of routine, education, work, money and access to services. Interestingly, it also showed that young people who had been in a position to continue to engage with youth services were more optimistic and had a better sense of what was going to happen in the future.

To ensure continued access to essential youth work activities during the pandemic, my Department has worked closely with youth services to ensure that young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable, continue to receive the necessary supports to the greatest degree possible.Youth services continue to be delivered, either outdoors or remotely, where necessary, with strict regard to public health guidelines through outreach work, small group work and crisis intervention work. I have continued to review and approve sector-specific guidance for youth work organisations. We have always tried to have it as up to date and expansive as possible, mirroring the general public health restrictions in place. We have done this in very close collaboration with the youth work sector. The guidance has been updated in line with changes to the public health measures. To support the delivery of necessary face-to-face supports for young people who are vulnerable, at risk or in crisis, youth service delivery has been explicitly recognised as an essential service under Covid-related regulations.

In recognition of the vital role played by youth services in providing support to young people, I have secured increased funding for the youth sector through the current challenging period. This extra funding has enabled the youth sector to continue to provide supports to young people, particularly to marginalised, disadvantaged and vulnerable young people. As a number of speakers have noted, a €5 million increase was secured in budget 2021, which brought the overall funding profile for the provision of youth services to €66.8 million nationwide. I have said before, and I will say it again here, that it is my intention in future budgets to continue to expand the amount we spend on youth services because it is one of the best investments the Government can make. This funding supports front-line services as they seek to innovate to continue to provide critical services to vulnerable young people.

In recognition of the particular challenges facing our country's youth, I approved a small grants scheme for youth clubs and services as a contribution towards some of the additional costs arising from Covid-19 restrictions. Last year, I was also in the position to provide €1 million in capital grants to support ICT procurement within the sector. Even though some of these grants are quite small, on a club-by-club basis they have been strongly welcomed by the sector. I am also conscious of the impact of Covid on funding and fundraising for youth services throughout the country. A number of Senators raised this matter. I will look to make the very best use of existing funds to support youth services, particularly over the summer and for the rest of the year. I hope to be able to say more about this later in the year.

I have also committed to ensuring the voices of young people are heard and given due weight in decision-making across government. This is a theme that emerged in many of the contributions today. The Department is progressing these aims through the implementation of the national strategy on children and young people's participation in decision making, the establishment of a national participation office, the recent publication of a national framework for children and young people's participation in decision-making and a renewed and strengthened commitment to Comhairle na nÓg, the permanent structure for the inclusion of young people in decision-making at local and national level. The new national framework was widely welcomed.

It is important to note that Ireland is not alone in acknowledging the detrimental impact the necessary health restrictions have had on young people. Last week, at EU level, the Porto declaration was agreed by the European Council. This declaration includes an action on supporting young people as part of a fair and equal recovery. Next week, EU Ministers with responsibility for youth and other member state representatives will come together at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council of the EU to discuss ways to support young people through the recovery and to mitigate the particular impacts that the pandemic has had on young people. Research carried out at European and national level suggests that a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach must be taken to ensure that young people are not left behind as societies begin to reopen. Likewise, a key tenet of Ireland's national youth strategy is that achieving good outcomes for young people is everyone's business. It requires all Departments, the statutory and non-statutory sectors and wider society and communities to play their part.

I acknowledge the role played by the Ministers for Education and Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputies Foley and Harris, and their Departments in responding to the impact of the pandemic on the young people in our education system. The Minister for Education has formally recognised that sustaining students' engagement and progression in learning is most effectively achieved when students attend school in person. It is also important to acknowledge that schools are important sources of social and emotional support for children and young people. The Department of Education has put in place significant infection prevention control measures to support the safe operation of schools and to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted to and within the schools. Significant funding of almost €650 million has been put in place by the Government to fund Covid-19-related measures. These supports will ensure that schools can continue to operate safely in line with public health advice.

The National Educational Psychological Services, NEPS, developed a suite of practical resources for students, school staff and parents to support their well-being during this time. In addition, student well-being has been supported by means of the provision of an additional 120 guidance posts at post-primary level and the continued expansion of educational psychological services to schools.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has taken a range of initiatives to support third level students. In budget 2021, the Minister, Deputy Harris, secured once-off funding of nearly €50 million to provide additional financial assistance in the current academic year. This follows the doubting of the student assistance fund in 2020, increased funding for mental health supports, including €2 million provided in budget 2020, an additional €3 million provided as part of the 2020 Covid cost package, the introduction of a €15 million fund to assist third level students access technology including laptops and devices, and additional funding for postgraduate grant holders. I take on board the points made by Senators Ruane, Murphy and others on the issue with the pandemic unemployment payment and SUSI and I will engage with Cabinet colleagues on this. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has established a working group to develop a plan for the reopening of third level in September in line with public health guidelines.

A number of Senators referred to the amendments proposed. Amendment No. 1 relates to a lowering of the voting age, something I have long supported and feel strongly about. It is an arbitrary age to state that aged 17 and three quarters someone is not entitled to make decisions on the future of their community and our society but that at the age of 18 they assume all the necessary wisdom. A demarcation has to be drawn somewhere but the experience of Scotland, about which Senator Warfield spoke, shows that young people and those aged under 18 are engaged and prepared to participate in the democratic process. The Senator pointed to the constitutional barrier to voting in Dáil elections. I thought back to what I thought was a very sensible proposal in the 35th amendment in 2015 to reduce the age at which someone could run to be the President and how it was resoundingly defeated with a 73% no vote. We are probably best to try it in European and local government elections to demonstrate the sky will not fall and then look to broaden it further. I am very excited about the legislation being brought forward to create an electoral commission and I will certainly be looking for the electoral commission to examine this proposal because it is significant. Having an independent body to oversee how our elections function in terms of their operation and wider questions about the electoral system is something that will be very positive.

The Independent Senators tabled a range of proposals and Senator Boyhan spoke passionately about the work of the Children's Rights Alliance and the Ombudsman for Children's Office. The Department has a very close relationship with both, the Ombudsman for Children as a statutory body and the Children's Rights Alliance as an alliance of NGOs. Senator Boyhan spoke about the 2019 report of the Ombudsman for Children. Even more recently, the report on direct provision was very critical of the treatment of children in the direct provision process and of Tusla and the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, both of which now fall within the remit of the Department. Since the report was given to the Department there has been substantive engagement with Tusla and IPAS. Both bodies have stated they will respond and accept all of the recommendations coming from the Ombudsman for Children. When the Ombudsman presented the report he commented on the fact that both bodies had fully accepted all of the recommendations and were working on them. The Ombudsman for Children and the Children's Rights Alliance have been very much involved in the drafting of the White Paper on ending direct provision. Senator Boyhan asked what are we saying to these groups.I say to these groups that they have a direct impact on improving and enhancing the lives of all children in the country, particularly the most vulnerable, through their advocacy work and reporting mechanism. I consider both as an alliance with a particular statutory function that is very important in supporting the work of my Department.

Young people have a key role in Ireland's future in the post pandemic era. I thank them, their families and the organisations that have supported them for their ongoing efforts to support all of society during what has been an incredibly difficult 14 months. I am continuously struck by their resilience, and other Members have spoken about the resilience of young people. In the words of a young person taken from the "How's Your Head" survey, she said: "We are all in this pandemic together and we will come out of it together". That is a telling statement. From my point of view as Minister, I and my Department are committed to ensuring that sufficient supports are put in place to support young people. Again, I thank all Senators for their in-depth contributions today. This has been a very useful debate.