Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I wish the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, well in her responsibilities. She can be assured of co-operation from our party and she will know that Deputy Ó Caoláin has done some exemplary work on the issue of children's rights.

On my question on the co-ordinating role - I accept entirely the examples the Taoiseach has given - it could be used across the whole range of governance, for example, on all-Ireland and cross-Border issues. One of the things which frustrates me, and I am sure every Deputy, is that we can deal with individual cases in that someone will come into our advice centres and we may, through diligent work, help that person but there are thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of people we cannot help because we need to make societal change to ensure the issues pressing down on people are rectified and addressed properly.

I commend any effort to co-ordinate the work of the Departments to adopt that cross-departmental approach and I assure the Taoiseach of full co-operation from our party in so far as it can help in those matters. Will the Taoiseach make clear that this will be his approach on all those issues in the term of this Government?

See this speech in context