Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I could not expect the Minister to give a full answer to the document which, in its entirety, concluded that the data on which the Government has relied to date are totally insufficient to allow anybody to infer the motives of non-nationals giving birth in Ireland. The document also concluded that the Government had not given sufficient consideration to the future constitutional protections of children born in this State whose parents are not Irish citizens. Moreover, it points out that the Government has failed to demonstrate that the interest of the child has been fully considered or that the proposal will not lead to discrimination in the enjoyment of rights or that it will not be applied in a discriminatory fashion. It is obliged to demonstrate this under international law.

Will the Minister clarify whether he regards the Human Rights Commission as a ginger group, given the terms he used to denigrate another credible statutory body last week? Does he believe human rights will lead to feudalism?

Will the Minister comment on the detailed analysis of the Children's Rights Alliance, bearing in mind that I do not expect him to give a detailed response as it is 34 pages long? The alliance's conclusions support not only those of the Human Rights Commission but also the views of those of us who identified problems and asked questions in respect of the referendum proposal and its motives.

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