Sharon Keogan (Independent)

Many people think that we are all going on holidays tomorrow until the middle of September and that is it, but an awful lot of work goes on behind the scenes both in this House and back in our constituencies that people might not be aware of. As part of that, I acquired a young man who previously worked in Senator McDowell's office, Padraig Monaghan, to do a little bit of work with the Parliamentary Budget Office regarding some submissions I would like to make in respect of the budget the Department of Finance will be looking at in the coming months. I did one on the cost of introducing free broadband for older and vulnerable persons. It was not actually the cost that shocked me but the number of recipients of the household benefits package and how it is set to increase from 2026 to 2030 by almost 100,000 people. The projected number for 2026 is 573,000 people, which would cost €296 million. I also did an analysis of the introduction of a €200 recreational voucher for those aged 16 to 19. The figure was again a little bit shocking. How much it would cost the Government was not too shocking. It would only have cost approximately €61 million. However, the number of young people in 2026 is projected to be 309,000, while it is expected to be only slightly above that in 2030. We have a serious issue with regard to those growing older in society but also with regard to our younger population. I would like the Minister to look at funding these two proposals. They are very worthy causes for the young people and the elderly of this country.

I wish all my colleagues a very happy, healthy and safe summer. I also wish all the staff in these Houses, including Bridget Doody and her team in the office, the catering staff, the ushers, everyone in the Bills Office and all of those who look after us every single day and who make our work a lot better, a safe, happy and healthy summer.