Nessa Cosgrove
Labour Panel · Labour Party · Ireland
“The Minister of State recognised that there was a grassroots movement and the documentary "Groundswell" captured it. There is also the documentary "Gasland", which was made in America and came out in 2010. We know it is going to come from America. Again, this is the Trojan horse.”
“The amendment defines "fracked gas", which does not appear anywhere in the Bill. This, with amendment No. 13, would make clear that the importation of fracked gas would not be possible under the Bill. LNG particularly when sourced in the US, is usually derived from fracking.”
“I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, after line 39, to insert the following: " "hydraulically fractured gas" means liquefied natural gas, or natural gas in any other form, that has been produced, in whole or in part, by means of hydraulic fracturing within the meaning of section 5A of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960;".…”
“I am sorry but I just do not buy the argument that it is security. A floating LNG storage facility in Qatar was blown up. It is actually more of a risk to our security to have a floating LNG terminal. This whole thing is mad.”
“All of us were probably at the IFA briefing yesterday. When they gave us the briefing document I saw that it was exactly the same as the one last year and I wondered whether it had got anything it looked for. I was told not really, apart perhaps with regard to areas of natural constraint.”
“Historians, no doubt, are going to refer to this legislation in that way, because the reserve is not going to be used solely for emergencies. We are trying to define what an emergency is. There is no definition. Seven years ago, we led the way in the international community by committing to phase out oil and gas exploration.”
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“We are supportive of Sinn Féin’s Private Members’ motion that is being discussed today in the Dáil. The cost-of-living crisis is having an impact on the daily lives of ordinary PAYE workers. Inflation is having a negative effect on the living standards of all workers, particularly on those earning the least. This can be felt. People’s wages are not going up, even for those who might have got a pay rise, because there is no indexation with inflation. We seek a mini-budget to address this that includes a double indexation of tax bands and credits. We see this being paid through the withdrawal of the VAT cut to hospitality giants and multinational corporations. Employers often peddle the line that trade unions are no longer relevant, but a new research study has shown the opposite is true.”
“This week is trade union week. It was a pleasure to attend an informative session in the audiovisual room by Owen Reidy of ICTU and Neil McGowan of SIPTU. They set out their vision for a new economic model that puts quality jobs at the centre of all development. Sinn Féin’s good jobs Bill is currently before the Northern Assembly, which will hopefully be enacted before the next Assembly elections in May 2027. Not only will this put it on the record and stop the scourge of zero-hour contracts but it will also provide much stronger protections for collective bargaining in the workplace. The absence of similar legislation here shows us that we need to update our employment legislation. The Labour Party has put forward four different pieces of employment legislation so far between the Dáil and the Seanad that have not been supported.”
“I am sorry for going over time but multi-annual funding is definitely the key to ensure that these services are fully supported.”
“"We were left without knowing who to turn to, what to do, where to go, and the autism support officer changed all that." Another spoke of being given a listening ear which, "left me with a feeling of being understood as a parent." Another parent said, "He now has friends, he's got like-minded peers, feels accepted, and even chats to them on the phone." These are not isolated comments. Every parent just wants to make sure that their child is happy in school. Not only is this life changing for the young person and their family, it is also cost-effective in the long run. Everyone wants to enjoy school and the longer people are supported to stay in school adds to the success rate they can go on to when they finish school.”
“I thank the Minister of State for recognising the wonderful work. It is outstanding and I am not just saying that because I worked there for so long but it is an incredible service. Like any service that operates on a yearly basis, it is very hard to plan. I understand that there will be Estimates and the fact that the CYPSC co-ordinator is liaising with HSE and the HYLS manager. It is all very positive and I welcome the fact that the Minister of State has recognised the impact it has. I just want to quote what people have said. One parent talked of the confusion immediately after their child received a diagnosis of autism.”
“It has been proven that the engagement of the autism support worker by the HYLS has been effective. It has been effective, particularly for a vulnerable group of young people, as the Minister of State will know from her role. I ask that the required commitment be made. I know from working in the voluntary and community sector – we spoke about this during the youth work debate – that it is very hard for youth workers, social care workers or anyone working with annual funding to plan for future needs. Therefore, they are looking for a commitment for an additional year. They are not looking for long-term multi-annual funding yet. The service is looking for a full commitment to the effect that both of the posts will be funded and supported for 2026.”
“On the matter of professional engagement, both the children’s disability network team and the HSE, including the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, are making referrals to the service, as are Foróige and young people themselves. It is a clear indication of the work the HYLS does on the ground. Given the success of the service, Sligo and Leitrim sought funding to have the post extended. It has been extended until the end of 2026. Also sought was the creation of a new post, for six months, in Leitrim. That has happened, so the service is really grateful. Performance indicators show the measurable impact of the work straight away. The impact can be seen in attendance patterns and engagement with all personnel working in schools. Providing the support to young people in school has a very tangible, measurable impact.”
“This service is valuable, worthwhile and sought after. The numbers prove this. In its first year of operation, the service supported 36 young people with autism in Sligo. By March of this year, in a period of just three months, a total of 68 referrals had been received by the service, along with a further 40 initial inquiries. The fact that the majority of these referrals were made by the schools themselves or by Tusla demonstrates the value of what the service offers. It is appreciated by those who work with young people, the young people themselves, their parents, the schools and other organisations that work for and support young people.”
“I know this because I worked in the service for 17 years. I can attest to the wonderful work it provides on the ground and the need for it. The autism support worker role came about as part of a needs-based response in conjunction with the work of the Sligo Leitrim Children and Young People’s Services Committee, CYPSC, and the HYLS. It was specifically developed because there was a need to support young people with autism. Since 2024, the autism support worker has been offering social, academic, behavioural and communication supports, as well as practical supports, to young people with autism at the times of their lives when they need them most. I refer to times of transition, such as moving into exam years and leaving school. Young people themselves identify these times as when they require support the most.”
“The Home Youth Liaison Service, HYLS, has been helping young people and families in Sligo and Leitrim since 1989. The difficulties young people face often become identifiable in school through behaviour or academic performance but the root cause of the difficulty is rarely seen in school alone. It can originate at home and affect a young person's life there and within the wider society. The HYLS takes an holistic approach to a young person's difficulties. It is a one-stop shop for services. Support does not begin and end at the school gate or at the beginning and end of the school day. The service is a genuinely wraparound service offering an immediate and integrated response with the objective of improving and enhancing the life and future outcomes of the young person who uses the service.”
“A number of social care workers have been put in place to fulfil personal and care assistant roles, meaning those social care workers are not able to fulfil their job properly and the same applies for personal care assistants. I might liaise with the Minister of State further about it. It is really important for HSE staff and management staff within disability services to be cognisant of the various different roles required to run the service. I am delighted the Minister of State is in this role because I know she will do a really good job in it.”
“I will keep it very short. The Minister of State is very welcome. As we all know, job roles within disability services are extremely specialised and cover very distinct elements of care. I worked within disability as a community worker in the Irish Wheelchair Association many years ago and so I know there are different roles involved. There are personal assistants and care assistants, who provide intimate and personal care every day. Social care workers help to develop care plans and manage the day-to-day tasks designed to increase the client's independence. I have to be very careful with what I say here because of a possible industrial relations dispute within disability services. I think it is very preventable. It is due to a lack of strategic planning and understanding of what is needed on the ground.”
“Other countries have had the bravery to do it and it is about time we did it as well. We have all watched the horror that has been going on for the past three years. This is a very simple solution that we should be very happy to embrace.”
“As Senator Higgins said, the Civil Engagement Group worked really well with the Government to come up with a solution to this issue. That was done. Now, though, it is just being left again. This is not what the Irish people want. This is an issue of deep concern to the Irish people and there is something we can do about it as legislators. It is our job to do it. We do not want to be complicit in this war and we are. We know it is not just in Israel. Countless lives have been lost in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Why would we not bring in this legislation? Why are we allowing this to continue to happen? It is like the occupied territories Bill. It is being pushed down the road and the Government is dragging its feet. Given how volatile the world is now, especially, why is the Government not disassociating us from this? We can do it.”
“Section 2, at the heart of this Bill, deals with the granting of ministerial exemptions for weapons, munitions or dual-use goods to pass through Irish territory or airspace. In simple terms, this Bill just puts an arms embargo in place and it bans the passage of arms through Ireland to Israel. I do not think that is an unreasonable demand. It has been 19 months since the UN General Assembly passed its resolution calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. This is a resolution that Ireland voted for. We have, therefore, already accepted the argument here, so why are we still facilitating the passage of arms through Shannon Airport? It beggars belief that the Government has pushed this down the road.”
“The recent revelations that almost 250 more flights than were declared had flown over Irish airspace last year was due to an administrative oversight is very hard to believe and comprehend. That is no consolation to all those killed or maimed by munitions delivered by the flights or because of intelligence gathered through the flights. It is an indication of just how many US military flights take place in Irish airspace. The figure surged by a further 56% following the unprovoked US attacks on Iran. As Senator Higgins said, Spain, which is a member of NATO, and Switzerland, have closed their airspace to US military aircraft. We should not be afraid to follow their example and to declare ourselves to be out of this neo-imperialistic war.”
“I fully and wholeheartedly support and commend the Civil Engagement Group and Senator Higgins on continuing to push this. I was elected to this House just over a year ago. This was one of the first important pieces of legislation we spoke about when this Seanad was convened. I cannot understand how nothing has been done about it. The behaviour of the US Government since this Bill was last debated has proven that we need more than ever to reclaim our neutrality and disassociate ourselves completely from the US military. War crimes have been committed by the US in Iran and by Israel in Gaza. If it is possible that weapons are being used that were delivered through Shannon Airport or via Irish airspace, we have to completely extricate ourselves from having anything to do with this.”
“Some of the children in Oberstown are the most vulnerable children in our State and we are failing them utterly by not investing properly in community-based youth facilities and keeping young people out of incarceration.”
“Was it last February that there were 340 psychiatric patients being held in prisons across the State? A person who will have no problem with me saying their name, Gearoid Coughlan of Inishannon in County Cork, was in the Central Mental Hospital, got referred to Wheatfield Prison and was on 24-hour suicide watch. Prison is not where he should be. Fortunately, he was moved in the last two weeks. It is great to have this debate but we need to look at staffing levels in Oberstown as well as bail supervision schemes. I worked with Extern and we know it is keeping juvenile offenders out of Oberstown, but that campus is at critical levels and has critically low staffing levels. That has to be addressed. The terms and conditions of workers employed in Oberstown are something we have to get on top of because it is getting worse.”
“However, we need to reduce the amount of short-term custodial sentences for non-violent minor offences. I also argue we need to extend this conversation to look at legalising cannabis for personal use. This is something we cannot keep pushing under the ground. In my time as a youth worker, so many young people I worked with were getting caught up in the criminal justice system for possession of cannabis. It is something we need to start having a proper conversation about instead of kicking it down the road. We spoke about the bail support scheme for women. This is a pilot programme, which I welcome. We want to see greater urgency on it. As was said, we spent a lot of time debating the Mental Health Bill but there are not enough places in the Central Mental Hospital.”
“However, a disproportionate number of prisoners come from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, low educational attainment and very high unemployment rates. It is very hard to see how continuing to put people into prison due to structural inequalities they did not cause is going to alleviate any of the difficulties we see. There were 31 deaths in prison custody in 2024. That is shameful. It is a scandalously high number. On overcrowding, why continue to incarcerate people and put them in long-term custody when we know the system is overcrowded and stretched beyond limit? It does not make any sense, especially for people who are on remand. There are welcome measures in the civil law Bill to extend community service orders to 24 months and extend community service hours to 480.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome this debate. It has been said many times before that the Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly has described the conditions in our prisons as "inhumane and degrading", which has led to the increase in deaths in custody. I did my social science dissertation in 1997 on the difficulties within the Irish prison system and very little has changed. There was overcrowding, drug use, too many remand prisoners, not enough community facilities for young people and not enough bail or supervision orders. I do not think it is being trendy left, Senator McDowell. No one denies there is a role for prison, especially with violent and sexual crimes.”
“In fairness to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, he has shown commitment to it. It would be great if the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, could bring this suggestion back to him. We see the impact it has had at Donegal Castle. As the Minister of State said, the shoulder season is an important part of the year, particularly for rural towns.”
“I thank the Aire Stáit for his response and support. It is welcome that the season has been extended by six weeks but it leaves the staff in a precarious position. They have to sign on, which makes no sense, or else they have to get new jobs for that season. This could eventually lead to all that experience and knowledge being lost. Sligo Abbey has in the past few years been looking at festivals throughout the year. It has put on a huge amount of stuff around Christmas, working with things like Music Generation Sligo. It has transformed the space. For St. Brigid's Day, there were carvings in the abbey to mark our patron saint. They were going to build things around that but, unfortunately, it will be closed. It is the same for St. Valentine's Day. There is a love knot carving in the abbey. It will be open for St. Patrick's Day.”
“The record number achieved last year was the culmination of ten years' hard work on the part of the heritage professionals on the ground. The overall number has trebled from around 15,000 ten years ago. Will the Minister of State take the steps required to ensure Sligo Abbey can be open for visitors year-round? It is a reasonable request. It is fully backed by Sligo BID, a business community, and the Sligo local authority. It would pay dividends in the cultural, social and economic impact it will have on our town.”
“Laying off staff and paying jobseeker's allowance for two and a half months each year rather than wages they want to earn means savings achieved are minimal. The marginal cost of keeping a small core staff in place is low and the benefits to the town centre economy, particularly on Sundays and Mondays when other town attractions are closed, is disproportionately high. Sligo County Council has indicated its support for year-round opening. Just last month, my Labour Party colleague, Councillor Ann Higgins, was fully backed by all council members in a motion to provide for year-round opening. The local authority has invested in a coach parking bay outside the entrance of the abbey. The abbey features in the county council's new AI itinerary tool. It is the first of its kind in the country. Sligo Abbey features prominently in it.”
“The nearest comparable town-centre, OPW-managed site in the region is Donegal Castle, which operates year-round. Donegal has seen domestic tourism growth of 176% over the past decade compared with 47% in Sligo over the same period. This illustrates what can be done. Year-round opening has played a part in Donegal's success and is one that could easily be replicated in Sligo immediately and at very little cost. The record-breaking visitor number from last year was achieved without capital investment or facility upgrades. None are required to facilitate year-round opening. The heating has to stay on in the visitor centre year-round to prevent damage whether the attraction is open or not.”
“The quality of the offering means a record 45,603 people visited Sligo Abbey in 2025, up 33% on the year before, making the abbey County Sligo's most visited heritage site. Despite this attraction, it closes from the end of December until the middle of March each year. This causes disruption to the rhythm of the year as well as to the staff team who must either sign on for the period or find alternative employment. This has resulted in experienced and talented guides finding employment elsewhere. The national tourism strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, explicitly prioritises the extension of the tour season and developing less mature regional destinations. Increasing year-round tourism is the number one objective in the Fáilte Ireland destination and experience development plan for Sligo.”
“Sligo Abbey has been described as the jewel in Sligo's heritage crown. Located in the heart of the town, the history of the abbey is the history of Sligo, both being founded in the mid-13th century. Built by the FitzGeralds, the centre of spiritual life was rebuilt following an accidental fire in 1414. Surviving the destructive reforms of Henry VIII and Elizabethan settlement, the abbey was abandoned following its desecration by the Cromwellian forces but it continued to serve as a place of burial for the people of Sligo. Its graves bear witness to the cholera epidemic of 1832 before finally being closed to burials in 1847 at the height of the Famine. The building retains a wealth of features from different eras, a rich diversity of architectural and sculptural styles surpassing much on view in other heritage sites.”
“We should be subsidising Irish produce at the point of sale so that choosing the Irish option will always be cheaper for the consumer and it should never cost the producer. Farming is an indigenous enterprise that could produce enough vegetables, grain, poultry, meat, eggs and dairy to meet our needs. We have amazing assets. We have the skills of farmers, the innovation of the agrifood sector and the support of CAP. We also have an abundance of natural resources. As well as bringing real money into our economy from outside the country, farmers generate employment and wealth throughout our rural communities. We all know that farmers support local economies. They buy local and the money stays in the local economy.”
“This is not just the exotics that we cannot grow here but it is also the crops we could easily grow in Ireland. Apples, carrots, broccoli, onions, garlic and potatoes are imported from across the globe at an enormous financial and environmental cost. There has been a collapse in the number of commercial growers operating within the State from around 600 in the 1990s - where I grew up there were growers all around me - to just 74 today. Recently, a grower in Kilkenny responsible for 12% of our national carrot crop went into liquidation. Making the changes that would support our growers would be a relatively simple process. This is why I appreciate this debate with the Minister. Below-cost selling and the undercutting of Irish products by supermarkets needs to be stopped.”
“Food is packaged in disposable plastic trays and bags made from fossil fuels and shipped or flown around the world. Beef and dairy is going out while vegetables and grain are coming in. We have failed to prepare for the end of the two eras of globalisation and cheap fossil fuels, leaving us completely vulnerable to global food insecurity. In the over-specialisation of the production of beef and dairy for export, we have also failed to protect our growers. We should have seen the dangers and we should have acted sooner. We need to move beyond supports only for dairy and beef. Of course support dairy and beef farmers but we must also provide more support for our growers. A total of 83% of our fresh fruit and vegetables are imported.”
“The growing, packing and movement of cheap food is dependent upon the availability of cheap oil but the era of cheap oil is over. We have seen the cost of green diesel, which farmers depend on, almost double in two months from around 97 cent to €1.80 a litre. It does not take an economist understand that the operation of a farm in Sligo or Leitrim making an average annual income of just €25,000 rapidly becomes unsustainable in these circumstances. Nearly all the fertiliser that beef farmers use is imported and produced in the Middle East, China and Russia, regions that are either currently unstable or at high risk of instability due to possible future conflicts. Two thirds of the grain we use to feed our cattle or to produce our bread is imported.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. We all know in here that the production of meat and dairy for global markets is a key sector of our economy and provides about 7% of the total gross value added of our annual wealth, which is €16 billion annually coming in to our country through agricultural exports. Up to now, this existing free market economic model in the export of high value dairy and meat made sense but this model of working is over. The era of free market global trade is over. I do not want to be the prophet of doom but it is like Senator Paul Daly said, the move towards tariffs, protectionism and trade wars was evident even in the first Trump Presidency. We failed to take that warning and we failed to act when the second Trump regime started weaponising tariffs to ensure their policy objectives.”
“(2) The review conducted under subsection (1) shall examine— (a) the merits of providing for a statutory right for every person receiving mental health services to obtain independent advocacy services in order to support the person in understanding and exercising his or her rights, (b) the effectiveness of the current arrangements by which a person receiving mental health services can obtain independent advocacy services, and any improvements to the timeliness and accessibility of those arrangements, and (c) whether an appropriate operational, structural and financial independence in relation to the provision of such advocacy services is achieved under the current arrangements.”.”
“I move amendment No. 38: In page 26, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “Review of independent advocacy services 11. (1) The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, conduct a review of the provision of independent advocacy services to persons in receipt of mental health services, and shall cause a report on the review to be published and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas.”
“The commitment is not made to ensure there are children-only services, where it can be said that something else is an emergency. I know there is the Mental Health Commission, and I know there are clinicians involved in it. However, I think this would safeguard that. I do not think it takes away from the fact. Parents are not saying that in an emergency, if there is no other bed available, they should be in an adult psychiatric unit. I fully agree with that, and I am not saying this in the case of the 72 hours. We are saying that if it was within the framework that there is a full commitment, that we want to invest in that, then there will always be continued investment in children-only services. This is only for emergency cases.”
“I thank the Minister of State and no one is disputing that. That is why we are changing the legislation. This is not at all about the 72 hours. We discussed this on Committee Stage. Where it is an emergency, I think we agree on the same thing. Where it is an emergency, it is acceptable. If we have that in there, it is saying it is an emergency. However, that is not taking the onus away whereby there has to be investment in children-only services. I know the Minister of State has committed to that. Nevertheless, what if other people come down the line after her and it becomes common practice, as Senator Higgins said? By having this in, it will prevent that being changed, not by this Minister of State but by someone else.”
“We spoke about this on Committee Stage. I have said to the Minister of State already that I know she has made huge strides on reducing the number of children in adult facilities. This is about changing the wording "in so far as is practicable". We accept there is a need, if there is a real emergency and if beds are not available in a child-only facility, for children to be placed in adult facilities. The Minister of State has said she does not want to tie the hands of clinicians but before her tenure, there were a lot more children in adult psychiatric units. All we want to put in is wording to ensure there is a safeguard and a clear legal prohibition on children in adult psychiatric units or in adult care facilities unless it is an absolute emergency. This is all we want to put in. It is reasonable.”
“I move amendment No. 35: In page 26, line 11, to delete "in so far as is practicable, that" and substitute the following: "that children are entitled to age-appropriate care and should only be in age appropriate units except in emergency circumstances, and".”
“I move amendment No. 3: After the words "calls on the Government to" to insert the following paragraph: "- restore youth and community work funding to pre-austerity levels, adjusted in line with inflation and population growth, and factoring in the increased cost of service delivery;".”
“I move amendment No. 2: After the word "acknowledges" to insert the following paragraph: "- the need for the youth work sector to be embedded as a key partner in addressing the social, economic and structural inequalities facing young people in Ireland;"”
“It is great that other Senators have said that, within the education committee, youth work gets better emphasis. I am on the children's committee and that is now being removed from it. It is really important that it does get it within those committees.”
“That is often the case when you are working on the front line like that. There are not enough resources there to ensure staff will stay. More and more, we will rely on youth workers, particularly in the age of social media. There needs to be more youth workers employed specifically to look at critically educating people or getting people critically engaged in thought but also around social media. With youth spaces for all, the nature of working in a youth centre and the nature of youth work is that you are open, it is inclusive, it is non-judgemental and young people feel safe to ask questions or to make sure they are allowed to be themselves in a space where they are at themselves. That is another area we will have to continue to look at.”
“They know the channels to go through, such as Tusla, Meitheal or child protection and they are able to access those organisations because they work on the ground and they know. That is the role of a youth worker. Many of my friends are youth workers and they still work in the youth work space. They say there are so many complex needs for young people that are developing. Young people are concerned about housing, they are concerned about addiction and they are concerned about social media. The needs of young people have increased but there is also the appreciation, as I would call it, not just monetary appreciation but the need to have proper funding, contracts and pensions to make sure that youth workers are not completely stressed out and they are not completely overloaded with their work.”
“It is about the investment in existing capital projects but also looking at youth spaces for all. I also went over to Youth Work Ireland today and it is moving away from certain things. Of course, there is a need for targeted youth work and there will always be, like the UBU projects and like the justice projects. There will always be a need for targeted youth work, where it is referral based and there are specific moneys going into that but there is also a real need for youth spaces for all and youth work for all. Any young person should have access to a youth space and it can be there that young people can be identified if they have additional needs if there are professional youth workers there, who are qualified and trained, to recognise this family needs a bit of extra support and this young person needs extra support.”
“I know investment has increased but there are so many buildings around the country that need a huge amount of upgrading. That is where some of the additional capital funding is wanted. That should come from across the Departments. Youth work is not just a single identity. The nature of youth work and the expression "mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí" is the premise for youth work. Regarding investment in youth work, early years and right down, I know some of the organisations I worked in, such as the Home Youth Liaison Service, or if it was a targeted youth service, you were able to work with young people as young as eight where it is different for others. There is a bit of difference around what services are provided within the youth work space and within social care, such as the age of certain young people you are able to work with.”
“It is great we are getting that recognition. From listening to everyone here speaking, because of the lack of multi-annual funding, it is very hard to retain staff in youth services. It is hard to plan and I think everyone would agree, and it is probably one of the main asks from this, that youth organisations should get multi-annual funding, not only so they are able to recruit staff but also so they are able to retain staff. If there was a proper pay scale, then incremental pay scales could come in. I know at one stage, Foróige paid more than Youth Work Ireland. I worked with the Home Youth Liaison Service so there is a lot of differential between pay scales. One regular pay scale would alleviate an awful lot of that. On capital projects, at the moment, youth services are coming from a very low base.”
“We still do not have a straightforward pay scale. Some of the issues we are talking about tonight come from that. As a trade unionist, it is very hard to unionise people to come together to look for pay agreements or look for increases in salaries because we do not have one clear, full pay scale and people who work as youth workers can be funded through the Department of justice and the Department of children, besides the Minister's own Department. I know she has made great strides and there has been an increase in the youth work budget, but is it 0.2% of the full education budget goes to youth services? The Minister might clarify that when we come back. Having said that, we have come a long way. I remember when I qualified as a youth worker, my parents said to me they had no idea what it was because it was such a new profession.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. It is great to have her here. I really welcome this debate and I am really thankful to the Sinn Féin Senators for bringing this forward. I am a professional youth worker. I qualified as a youth worker in 2001. We were the second set of graduates from the course in UCC. The Youth Work Act 2001 was out at that stage. We have come a long way and it is great that the youth services are back within the Department of education again. I have to say before I start that unfortunately, there is still no standard youth work pay scale. There are different titles within youth work. When I started working as a youth worker, I worked in Belfast, Dublin, Donegal, Sligo and all over the country as a youth worker with different organisations such as Foróige, ETB and Home Youth Liaison Service, HYLS.”