Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms O'Mara, Mr. Bohan and Ms O'Brien and thank them for their contributions. I probably reflect the situation for most of us when I say that we did not have prior sight of the contributions that they were going to make, which normally help us to concentrate and prepare for our discussion. I am winging it here in terms of what has been said, but there are some broader points I would like to make in the context of tackling child poverty.

It is great that we have representatives from the three Departments here together. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is a new Department and I am hugely enthusiastic about it and believe it will, given the fullness of time, prove its worth. Mr. Bohan is the unfortunate holder of the responsibility for the Department of Social Protection here today. Many of our concerns are reflected in that area, particularly due to the austerity programme and the cuts and impacts of it for our respective constituents. I acknowledge there have tremendous improvements in regard to the Department of Education and Skills and that there have been some important initiatives in terms of improving the circumstances in which children are educated. There is much yet to be done and I have no doubt all of our witnesses are more than cognisant of everything I have said.

In my view, there is one glaring omission here, the HSE. As things stand, despite Ms O'Mara having alluded to the advent of the child and family support agency, for at least this year the responsibility rests within the HSE. For the time being, the Family Support Agency continues under the aegis of the HSE, but it is not represented here. However, while the representatives of the three Departments are here, I would like to say that I feel that while they are here together, they are not always acting together in the interest of children. There is not sufficient evidence to give me confidence or certainty that there is real joined-up thinking across Departments vis-à-vis the consequences of decisions made and matters being implemented. They need to move from this point to a greater level of relationship with regard to the impact of decisions made. This would give me great hope.

We have a population of just over 1 million people under 18 years of age, which puts into context what we are talking about here. Child poverty is a huge area and it represents itself in many ways, as we have all mentioned here time after time. We have real poverty, relative poverty and many other indicators of situations where children are left out. They may not be viewed by many in their immediate communities as being in poverty or threatened by poverty, but the impact of being left out of opportunity and of having the doors of opportunity closed to them has adverse effects on these young people preparing for adult life. I accept this view is shared across all political views in this committee.

It is very difficult to focus on what we can do other than encourage the joined-up thinking approach. Like the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. we are very anxious to see the child and family support agency established and to see the various pieces of legislation, which I expect will have a very positive bearing on the situation regarding children, passed.

Even with the passage of all that has been signalled, it comes back to the fact that resourcing is hugely important. We have made this point time after time. I am not closed to acceptance that we do not have an endless pool. It will mean different prioritisation as well as the creation of new forms of resourcing. I believe that both are achievable. What those of us at my point in life want to see in later adult life is hope restored for our children, and not necessarily for us and our time, because that may not be achievable within the current circumstances. Hope must be restored for our children and for their futures. What that would mean to parents and communities would be massive.

I will conclude with some observations, if I may. I apologise for being a little long-winded. I refer to many of the measures taken by the Department of Social Protection, although I am not suggesting for a moment that the responsibility rests on the shoulders of Mr. John Bohan and the Department, because these are political decisions ultimately. However, I am deeply concerned about the impact of many of these decisions in some of the areas that have been alluded to, which I will not single out.

I acknowledge that the Department of Education and Skills has done much. Children spend the greatest part of their week in school conditions under the stewardship and guidance of teachers who are also trying to contend with deplorable circumstances. In my constituency and throughout the length and breadth of the State there is so much work that needs to be done. This all has a bearing on the issue of child poverty.

The delegates referred to educational, social and economic disadvantage, but there is also locational disadvantage, depending on where one happens to be born, the circumstances of one's community and the supports that the various State agencies have put in place. These circumstances can impair the prospects of young people into adult life.

I promise the Chairman that this is my final point. Today is World Down Syndrome Day. Yesterday, in the course of addressing the Bill that facilitates a reduction in the threshold for qualification for a medical card for those over 70, I instanced a situation that has presented only in the past couple of weeks - that of a Down's syndrome child who has other serious health issues. The child holds a long-term illness card due to the Down's syndrome designation and previously held a full medical card on the basis of a discretionary assessment of the child's other medical needs. However, the full medical card was withdrawn in the past two weeks. While the Department is signalling the removal of up to 40,000 medical cards, the greater number of them from those over 70 years of age with incomes in excess of €600 per week, are discretionary cards the next line of attack-----