The State is ‘failing its young people’ - Mayo TD claims

A Mayo TD has expressed disappointment that Ireland has the highest level of 25 to 29-year-olds being forced to live with their parents.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said some 60.9% of that age cohort do not have a place to live independently.

She elaborated: "That is almost double what it was previously. That is shameful."

The Erris-based representative has also made the point that over 5,000 Leaving Certificate students put nursing or midwifery as their first preference on their CAO application - but huge numbers missed out.

She explained: "It is not that young people do not want to become nurses and midwives; it is that the State is failing to provide training.

“We have both the need and the demand for these course places. That is why I want to see an increase in the number of places by 250 this year and continue to increase numbers until there are 2,500 new entrants annually.

"Almost 4,000 students enrol in pre-nursing courses every year with little hope of being able to study nursing at degree level. We are absolutely failing them.

"If a student enrols in a pre-nursing course, they are interested in nursing and want to be a nurse. There is every chance that they would make an excellent nurse. Yet, we do not give them the opportunities."