Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to Seanad reform. He has always been a dedicated parliamentarian. I note he mentioned my Bill and the implementation of the seventh amendment. There are broader questions around Seanad reform, but I would like us to finally address this issue during the Taoiseach time in office and enact the Bill.

Coming out of the pandemic, I would like to mention two sectors. The first is the arts and creative sector in Ireland. It is a sector that has helped us through this pandemic, but it is also one of the sectors that has been most badly affected and impacted. The Government has significantly increased funding through the Arts Council. We are introducing a universal basic income pilot scheme for artists next year. We have to ensure that we provide support for the arts, the arts communities and so on, not just because they will be economic drivers in future, but also because of their crucial role in bringing communities together. The other group I wish to mention is young people. They have been affected enormously as a result of the pandemic. They have shown incredible resilience, but certainly in the context of education, mental health and other areas, they have been affected. The Taoiseach is right to argue, as did the Leader, that education provides a great opportunity. We have to ensure that no young person falls between the cracks. We have to make this the best country in the world for a young person to live in, on a sustainable planet and in a Europe that shows solidarity and in which young people are given the opportunity to participate as fully as possible. As we rebuild society, I ask the Taoiseach to ensure that young people are at the heart of that.