Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Gibbons for her presentation. Nobody in this room doubts her sincerity, capability and experience. I have only a few questions. How does she see the integration of the NEWB role within the new agency? Her presentation referred to the need for society to invest in preparing and supporting parents in a parenting and caring role. Coming from a voluntary community background, I believe that parenting begins at home and within the family circle. We tend to pigeonhole people in communities. If a person lived in a certain flats complex he or she was put in a particular pigeonhole, but if the person lived in a housing estate he or she was not put in that pigeonhole. We have to be responsible for all children, whether they live in a housing estate, a flats complex or a private housing scheme. They all need services at certain stages. Can Ms Gibbons expand on investing in support for parenting? The key issue is how we view family surroundings and family links.

The presentation also referred to the task force on alcohol, the abuse of alcohol among parents and the concerns about neglect and the impact on families and communities. In a report I read recently I was astonished to see that there was a 375% jump in the number of young people between the ages of 18 and 35 who will need new livers. We have many lone parents in the community I represent and in fact I would say we have children rearing children, because many of these lone parents are 18 or 19 years of age. In my eyes, they are still only very young adults. The abuse of alcohol has grown remarkably among that age group, and not just among lone parents but right across family circles, where most people drink alcohol at home. Going out for a drink is no longer the norm.

Ms Gibbons referred to poverty among children. I believe that being poor is nothing to be ashamed of. We have labelled people in the bracket of being disadvantaged and so on. Being poor does not mean being neglected. I grew up with children who did not have a pair of shoes but, by God, they had great parents. This relates to what I said in the beginning about parenting and how we help to provide services for young people with young families who are only learning to be parents at this stage. Does the agency have a role in that regard? Perhaps it is not the job of the agency, but I call on Ms Gibbons to address the question.