Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

We are fortunate because in our democracy every Member of this House has a right to contribute. I appreciate the comments of people coming from various perspectives and taking the time to consider all the elements of this legislation properly, which is what we are here to do this afternoon. People were here until 11 p.m. last night and were not disruptive, and those who were here spoke on behalf of the various constituent groups being affected by this legislation. That is important.

I did not answer a question from Deputy D'Arcy on the administrative budget. The administrative budget of the Department of Social and Family Affairs is 0.51% of total expenditure and we aim to keep it as low as possible. The same goes for other Departments but the administration of other Departments is also tied to the public pay sector, which will be affected.

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