Rose Conway-Walsh Calls for Green Jobs to Tackle Youth Unemployment
Rose Conway-Walsh urged the Taoiseach to align climate action with a comprehensive jobs strategy, arguing investment in renewable energy, retrofitting, sustainable agriculture, public transport and green technology can create thousands of secure, well-paid jobs and tackle youth unemployment. She highlighted the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy and asked what concrete measures the government will take to upskill young workers and ensure the green transition delivers real employment opportunities.
Main demand
Rose Conway-Walsh pressed the Taoiseach to recognise the employment potential of ambitious climate action and to capitalise on it as an economic opportunity. She called for replication of successful projects such as the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy - a partnership with Wind Energy Ireland - to provide permanent career paths for young people facing unstable employment or emigration.
Funding and programmes discussed
The exchange referenced existing programmes and their funding: the Acres Programme (about £1.5 billion, with roughly 60% Exchequer funding) and the retrofitting programme, which the Taoiseach said has supported approximately 240,000 houses. The Taoiseach emphasised that the carbon tax contributes to funding these measures and noted that around 40% of some supports come from the European Union. Bord Namona was cited as a transformed state agency delivering economic dividends, and the NDP was described as having a 2 to 1 allocation in favour of public transport.
Exchange with the Taoiseach
In reply, the Taoiseach defended the role of the carbon tax in funding environmental farming and retrofitting and criticised opposing positions on the carbon tax and the EU. The Taoiseach characterised the contrast in rhetoric from the opposition as inconsistent and acknowledged positive initiatives such as the Skillnet project and Bord Namona's contribution to climate action.
Questions and consequences
Conway-Walsh asked for concrete government measures to align climate targets with upskilling programmes and a strong cohort of skilled workers for the future economy. She sought a commitment that the green transition will not only meet climate targets but will also deliver tangible employment opportunities for the next generation.
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Taoiseach, we are seeing the devastating consequences of a deepening climate crisis and persistently high youth unemployment at the same time. It's time to recognise the enormous employment potential associated with the ambitious climate action and capitalise on this huge economic opportunity. Investment in renewable energy, in retrofitting, in sustainable agriculture and public transport and in green technology can create thousands of secure, well-paid jobs across the island. Successful projects like the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, a partnership with Wind Energy Ireland that address critical skills gap on the offshore should be replicated to provide permanent career paths for young people struggling to find stable employment or being forced to immigrate. Taoiseach, I'd like to know what concrete measures your government is taking to align the climate action targets with a comprehensive job strategy that upskills young workers, builds a strong cohort of skilled individuals for the future economy and finally tackles youth unemployment. And will you commit to ensuring that this green transition not only delivers on climate targets but also on real employment opportunities for the next generation? Deputy Quaid. Deputy Rose Conway-Walch. Interesting, in all the areas you're urging us, you know, environmental farming, retrofitting and so on like that, we spend about, I think, 1.5 billion on the Acres Programme, which is good for environmental farming. 60% of that is Exchequer. And do you know what helps to fund that? The carbon tax. Which every now and again you oppose. No, no, it's, like, you're, like, you're, like, you're, like, great, I'm curious to your capacity to speak out of five sizes of your mouths at different times on policy issues, I don't mean that personally, but generally. It's extraordinary. Extraordinary. Because, and the other one, the retrofitting programme, we could not do the retrofitting programme without the funds that come out of the carbon tax. And, like, it's 240,000 houses have been retrofitted as a result of that programme of the last number of years. We've transformed retrofitting, we've transformed, you know, the Acres, the whole environmental farming supports compared to what was there. 40% comes from the European Union then. And you've, Sinn Féin, I've had an on-off relationship with Europe as well. Well, you are, like, you're against them all the bloody time. Please address your remarks through the Chair. Through the Chair, then, I agree with you on the Skillnet's project. Board Namona is a transformative state agency. It's a great example of how you go from being a contributor to, you know, probably making one of the better contributions of state agencies to the climate change agenda and to addressing climate change. And there will be further economic dividends arising out of the transformation that Board Namona have undertaken and been a part of. It's a good story, Board Namona. And on the public transport, it's now 2 to 1 in terms of the NDP. The NDP allocation is 2 to 1 in favour of public transport. And that's important. Deputy Quinton.
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