Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

One gets the recommendation one pays for. Throughout the debate, the Minister has sought to distort reality. Under no circumstances can it be said that the CPA can continue or improve its work if it is subsumed into the Department. The critical aspect of the CPA is its courage and freedom to speak out, as it is an independent body. It was enabled to be a voice for those who do not normally have one, the poor, because it was independent. It can decide what research in which to engage and how to portray the issues at the heart of poverty. Often, they were portrayed in a way that was not favourable to the Government of the day. The agency's independence is its main benefit and strength. At times, it was a thorn in the Government's side.

It is misleading of the Minister to state that she wants to see the agency continue its good work. Were that the case, why does she not allow it to continue as an independent agency? She wants to silence it. To say that the agency can continue its work within the Department is nonsense, since the Minister knows that it cannot. There is no tradition of civil servants being openly critical of Ministers. The agency will be silenced. Someone else will choose what research work will be carried out and how the findings will be portrayed. Consequently, the agency will lose the strength it derived from independence.

A further important aspect of the CPA's work lay in how it went into communities and found out what was occurring therein. Rather than examining global figures on a national basis, it considered the underlying reasons for our high levels of educational disadvantage, for example. A worthwhile CPA project in Donegal examined why there was a low uptake of medical cards among marginalised people. It drills down into problems to determine the underlying issues and which policies need to change. This will not be the case from now on. The work will be restricted by the Department, which will not want critical and unfavourable information about it to emerge. It is a retrograde step and a shameful move. The Minister will go down in history as the Minister who silenced any criticism in terms of poverty.

The most serious issue is not that the Bill will do away with the CPA. Rather, those who depend on the CPA to have their voices heard will no longer be heard to the same extent. This is a bad move and a big mistake that we will oppose vehemently.

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