'You'll own nothing and be happy!' Tipperary TD says Government failing young people

The Government’s “mid-term legacy” of “broken promises” means over 450,000 young adults are forced to live at home with their parents, resulting in profound stress, anxiety, and shattered dreams, according to the Rural Independent TDs.

Speaking from Leinster House, the leader of the Rural Independent Group, Tipperary TD, Mattie McGrath, said: “This week, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Greens will do much back-clapping and self-promoting as their spin machines work overtime, and holding onto the trappings of power is the only priority. However, in the ‘real world,’ it’s their glaring policy failings, especially when it comes to housing, that is so destructive to every community country-wide.

“This Government’s housing policies are cases of spin over substance. Ireland’s young people have been betrayed, as the pathway to housing is damaging their mental health and socio-economic outlook. Thirty months of Micháel Martin as Taoiseach have resulted in a catastrophic worsening of the numbers of young adults in Ireland now living with their parents, due to the astronomical cost and lack of housing. In total, there are over 450,000 young adults, aged between 20 and 34, living at home with their parents.

“This abject policy failure has caused the highest proportion of young people aged between 20 and 29 to live with their parents since records began. Eurostat data illustrates that over 75 percent (3 in every 4) young adults in Ireland were living with their parents in 2021, up significantly from 54 percent in 2014.”

He added: “Contrastingly, in Finland and Denmark – countries with similar demographics to Ireland – the percentage of the same age cohort living with their parents is 15 and 12 respectively. Almost 8 in every 10 Irish people aged 20 to 29 (80 percent) are forced to live with their parents this year, as the proportion of young adults living with their parents continues to rise faster in Ireland than any other EU country. The Government will no doubt be boasting about their achievements; however, the reality is that any objective analysis will conclude that it has completely failed its young people.”