Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Kathleen Funchion

You would never get an opportunity of six minutes. It is nearly unheard of nearly. For someone who might want to use the language but who does not always have the confidence to use it, this is a really good opportunity to encourage and use our language. Regarding the technicalities of that, we would like to see during the Presidency the end to the technical derogation on Irish interpretation that is currently in place, as it limits the rights of Irish speakers in the EU. Obviously, at Parliament level the translation is available but it is sometimes not available at committee level.
The Presidency will also play a key role in delivering the next EU budget. We need to be looking at our young people in relation to this. Youth unemployment is a major issue in Ireland. It is something that is actually being discussed at the moment in the EMPL committee. We have to look at opportunities because an unusual situation is developing where a lot of young people are being limited to part-time work whereas a lot of graduates are coming out very qualified and may not be getting the opportunity. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place where they do not have the experience but how can they get the experience if nobody gives them the opportunity?
Am I coming up on the six minutes?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18