Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her response to the contents of UNICEF’s Report Card 11 - Child well-being in rich countries insofar as it relates to Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17355/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I very much welcome the publication of the UNICEF's Report Card 11 titled "Child well-being in rich countries". Indeed I was delighted to accept the invitation from UNICEF to launch this report last Wednesday. This was an important event and it was appropriate that it took place in Dublin during Ireland's EU Presidency. The league table represents the latest available overview of child well-being in 29 of the world's most advanced countries.

In providing international comparisons this report further contributes to the wealth of data now emerging on children's lives and experiences.

Five dimensions of children's lives have been considered: material well-being; health and safety; education; behaviours and risks; and housing and environment. The league table of child well-being is designed to measure and compare progress for children across the developed world. Its purpose is to record the standards achieved by most advanced nations and to contribute to debate in all countries about how such standards can be achieved.

I am happy to report that according to the ‘Report Card’ Ireland is now recognised as one of the top 10 best places in the world to be a child.

I note, in particular, the findings relating to Ireland having the highest rate of children exercising daily in the industrialised world, significant decline in children smoking and more modest declines in drinking and teenage pregnancies. These international findings on smoking, drink and teenage pregnancies reinforce the trends highlighted in recent Irish findings published in the ‘State of the Nation’s Children’ Report which was I launched last month.

However, in launching the ‘Report Card’ I did express concern over that Ireland had one of the highest proportions of 15-19 year olds not in education, employment or training – the so-called NEET’s cohort. These findings justify the approach I am taking as current President of the EU Council of Youth Ministers in prioritising the contribution of youth work to achieving the goals of Europe 2020 and supporting youth employment initiatives aimed at the NEET’s cohort.

I also welcome the report’s focus on the importance of early intervention to child well-being. This is a key objective of my Department and features in our work in developing Ireland first ever Early Year Strategy, our investment in area-based approaches to early intervention and child poverty, and the ongoing development of the new Child and Family Support Agency.

I look forward to continuing to achieve further improvement in outcomes for children in Ireland and I would like to commend UNICEF on the publication of this report card.