Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

All politicians face that challenge. I spend as much time in my constituency as possible. I only come into Leinster House on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when I must. However, I listen to what people say. Of course, there are concerns. The Tallaght Welfare Society of which I am a board member, which is based in Tallaght village and which was set up in 1969, presented a submission in respect of this year's budget to the Minister at a session on Monday. It was very impressed by his response.

In regard to what the previous speaker said, issues of security for the elderly were raised in The Echo this morning and I hope the Minister considers them.

The Minister will know the Taoiseach visited Tallaght a week ago and not for the first time. He is a regular visitor to Tallaght and we are happy with his support. He visited Jobstown in Tallaght west for the launch of the Childhood Development Initiative report, which has been mentioned in the House and which falls under the remit of a number of Ministers, including the Ministers for Education and Science, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs. I am anxious the Minister and his officials consider that report. The Minister was kind enough to respond to a parliamentary question tabled by me on the subject. It is a radical report with a number of important proposals for children in the Tallaght west area, including Fettercairn, Brookfield, Jobstown and Killinarden. I would be very grateful if the Minister could investigate that report because it is the type of project which would not only be good for my community in Tallaght but which would set the tone for other such schemes throughout the country. Great credit is due to the organisations which came together in respect of that childhood development report. It is something which could be duplicated throughout the country and I hope the Minister will seriously consider it in that respect.

I refer to some of the issues of which the Minister is taking particular care. I am a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs and I am the secretary of the Fianna Fáil policy group on social and family affairs and, as a result, I have much contact with the Minister. I am not being patronising but this Minister has shown——

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