John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I see from today's newspaper the leader of the Progressive Democrats is advising politicians not to let people into their family homes. This legislation is letting the State into the family home. We are taking ageist action against the most vulnerable people in society. The previous speaker alluded to the Constitution, which appears to have been set aside by the Progressive Democrats in particular. The Minister of State has listened to the Progressive Democrats. It appears to be a case of the tail wagging the dog here, unless Fianna Fáil agrees wholeheartedly with this view. I suspect the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, has reservations about this himself.

In a week which saw the Progressive Democrats apparently giving to the elderly, the party is in effect, giving with one hand and grabbing the family home with the other. That is the reality. The Minister of State will hear this from people on the doorsteps in the next few weeks. The statistics are available. Many of us will be affected by this provision in the future. So many people have contributed generously to the State in the past through their taxation and now they have been singled out with the intention of taking the family home from them. The Minister of State is probably aware of how sacrosanct the family home is in our society. This provision would cause untold difficulty and suffering for many people. This is an attack on the most vulnerable in society.

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