Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their presentations, which were powerful. I came home from London with my parents in 1979. My dad was a retired factory worker. I remember the shock when my parents realised that there was no such thing as free education because, of course, there was free education in England at that time. It is sad to reflect that in the nearly 40 years that have passed, things have got worse rather than better.

One thing my wife Ursula always says to our kids is that life is about choices. We should reflect on the choices our political class has made in recent years in terms of what our real priorities are. Let us be honest about this because everyone will agree with the witnesses and I am sure the committee will write a very positive report. In recent budgets, Fine Gael, supported by Fianna Fáil, chose to cut capital gains tax, capital acquisitions tax and inheritance tax. It chose a €500 million subsidy, as has been pointed out by Barnardos and the TUI, to subsidise some of the richest hotels in the country. I can guarantee that when the Seanad sits again, we will have people, not from Sinn Féin or, to be fair, the Labour Party, the Green Party or Civil Engagement, standing up to demand the retention of that €500 million subsidy to some of the richest hotel businesses in the country. I ask how serious we are because it is clear that in my lifetime, parents and children have been failed completely by successive Governments. That is the reality.

Given that we cannot do everything and we do not have the money to do everything, why are we choosing to back subsidies to businesses and wealthy people who not need them rather than investing in basic decency in our education system so that we could become a republic? I would interested in hearing the witnesses' views because none of this is new. I remember Fergus Finlay making a powerful presentation on this issue a couple of years ago. This stuff has been out there for years. Every year, when it comes to budget time, children and parents are forgotten. I would be interested in hearing the witnesses' opinions on why this has consistently been the case. I can go back as far as 1979. Things have got worse since my parents were put in that position.

My second question is simple. Extortionate interest rates have been around for a long time. Does anyone know why successive Governments have refused to act on the issue? I know it has come up several times in the past. I cannot remember what the answer is. Can anyone shed light on it? From the powerful presentation made by the Irish League of Credit Unions, it strikes me that this practice has been curtailed elsewhere. For some reason, we, again, seem to be more persistent in bowing down to our financial masters rather than taking sensible concrete actions to support people at the very worst edges of this experience. I thank the witnesses again for their powerful presentations. Let us hope somebody is listening this time.