Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

How could this committee, which seems to be central to Cabinet and Government — I think the term is "cross-cutting committees" — manage to have a two and a half month holiday? It is a reasonable question.

In regard to its counterpart committee dealing with social inclusion, children and integration, would that committee have had an opportunity to discuss the social impact of the report of the McCarthy committee, an bord snip nua, in particular the impact on children of the cuts proposed by the McCarthy report?

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