Youth Council reaction to Ministerial appointments

• Welcomes appointment of Minister Reilly to Youth Affairs portfolio
• Welcomes focus on Diaspora in Minister Deenihan’s new role

In the Cabinet reshuffle today (11.07.14) Dr James Reilly, TD, has been appointed Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and Jimmy Deenihan, TD, has been appointed junior minister in the Department of the Taoiseach with a focus on the Diaspora.

Commenting on the appointments Mary Cunningham, Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) said:

“We congratulate the new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly on his appointment. His wide-ranging experience, and previous tenure as Minister for Health, will equip him very well for this important and challenging new portfolio. We look forward to working closely with Minister Reilly and his department, to continue our work to ensure better outcomes and brighter futures for all young people in Ireland.”

Potential for work on youth emigration highlighted

The Youth Council also welcomed the creation of a new junior ministry with a focus on the Diaspora.

 “Given the scale of youth emigration in Ireland, we see this new post as a welcome development.  A Minister with responsibility for issues around youth emigration is something NYCI has called for previously in reports and submissions.

“We look forward to working with Minister Deenihan on the youth emigration issue in particular, to look at ways of supporting our young emigrants when abroad and facilitating their return,” continued Ms Cunningham.

“We’d also like to put on record our thanks to Minister Flanagan for his work as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs,” concluded Ms Cunningham.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Daniel Meister, Communications Manager at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie

Notes to Editors:

National Youth Council of Ireland

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.