Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I refer to the Taoiseach's announcement ten days ago, when he said out of the blue that the Government proposes to have a referendum on the rights of the child. We are no clearer ten days later on whether the Government thought this through or what is intended. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has given half a dozen interviews, diplomatically pouring treacle on our heads but we still do not know the intention of the amendment.

Does the Taoiseach agree there are many things the Government can do without a referendum? I refer him to today's report by the End Child Poverty Coalition, which points out that child poverty rates in Ireland are among the highest in Europe, with no fewer than 60,000 children living in consistent poverty, that one third of children in lone parent households live in consistent poverty and that deprivation is highest in households with children.

The Government target to eliminate child poverty by 2007 in the national anti-poverty strategy has not just no realistic prospect of being achieved but the inequality in our society is widening. We all know poverty in Ireland is spatially diffuse but we also know there are geographic areas where multiple disadvantage is clustered. How can the Taoiseach's Government justify such private affluence living cheek by jowl with public squalor? Does he accept that social welfare increases alone will not address this issue? Specifically, does the Taoiseach agree with the Labour Party proposal that 5% of the national development plan be allocated to these areas of concentrated deprivation? These areas of poverty have been well mapped out, all of the literature exists. A Marshall Plan is needed to transfer resources to these areas of concentrated disadvantage. What is the Government's position?

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