Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It would have been good to welcome our Maltese colleagues but I look forward to the day we can celebrate the independence of our island from Britain. I commend Malta, as an island nation on the periphery of Europe, on its support during the Brexit negotiations and on being a leader in Europe and across the world in the area of LGBT rights. Malta was the first country in Europe to ban conversion therapy in a Act on which I based the Bill I introduced here.

Every day, young people and students are boarding overcrowded trains because they cannot find accommodation in Dublin. Hospitality workers tell us they are taking a year out from their studies because they cannot afford to pay fees. We listen to young artists and graduates who are making a cultural and creative life in cities around Europe, including Berlin and Glasgow. Those anecdotes are not the exception. Recent Red C research for the National Youth Council of Ireland suggests they are becoming the norm. It found that more than 70% of young people aged between 18 and 24 are considering emigrating because they think they would enjoy a better quality of life elsewhere, 80% are fearful of the future, 50% report worsening mental health in the context of the cost of living and 40% are less happy than they were six months ago.

Those fears and belief are not unfounded. A recent report by the Residential Tenancies Board shows average rent for a new tenancy in quarter 1 of this year was €1,460 nationally and €2,015 in Dublin. What future is there for Ireland if we do not invest in our young people and solve the housing crisis? The National Youth Council of Ireland has called for investment in youth services and mental health reform in budget 2023. There needs to be targeted action in this budget for young people to address the cost of living and prioritise progress in tackling youth homelessness. I support the National Youth Council of Ireland's pre-budget submission and call on the Government to consider it and adopt the council's proposals.