Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 May 2013
52. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on the recent report by the National Youth Council entitled Time to go - the Experience and Impact of Emigration on Ireland's Youth. [24467/13]
View answerI am aware of the “Time to Go” report which Marian Harkin, MEP, launched on behalf of the National Youth Council earlier this month. This is a very useful piece of independent qualitative research on the phenomenon of emigration in Ireland today. The recommendations in the Report are, however, outside the direct remit of my Department.
At a macro level the Government’s strategy is to re-build the economy and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, jobs-rich economy based on enterprise, innovation and exports. It is in this way that we will create the environment in which sustainable jobs will be created, living standards will be raised and Ireland will be regarded as an attractive location in which to live and work. We are doing this through the Action Plan for Jobs process and have already seen the positive results during 2012 of the collective action being taken across the whole of Government to support the enterprise sector to sustain existing jobs and create new ones.
We must also remember, though, that emigration has been a consistent feature of Irish life, and even during the Celtic Tiger years, Irish people chose to emigrate for career or personal reasons. Nevertheless the Government is committed to ensuring that emigration returns to being an option, not a necessity, and through the Action Plan for Jobs process, we will continue to strive to provide opportunities for employment in Ireland.
