Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)

It is like listening to a foreign radio channel on my left.

I agree with a point made by Deputy Derek Nolan. I worked in the area of education and I know there is a lot more to child neglect than is caused by the level of income of a family. One must take a holistic approach to any discussion of child welfare. Why, when thousands of euro from the State coffers are going into some households, are some children being subjected to what I, as someone who has worked in this area, consider to be serious neglect? Why is the system still not interconnected? Why are the Health Service Executive and the social welfare, education and juvenile justice systems not talking to each other? In many cases, they are failing to support highly vulnerable and struggling parents who do not have the skills required to raise a family. No amount of money will solve the problems faced by many such parents because in some households they are cyclical in nature. Parents who lack parenting skills are crying out for support but our institutions and services are not linked up. One can throw all the money one wishes at the problem, as the previous Government did when it threw money around like snuff at a wake, but child neglect remains widespread.

On the issues raised by Deputy Spring, one can choose to ignore the €20 billion deficit, not to speak of problems in the banking sector, and oppose everything for the sake of opposition. We have not heard a single proposal that would address the deficit. The Fianna Fáil Party is coming to the table full of hypocrisy, while Sinn Féin north of the Border is wielding a carving knife and cutting as deep as it likes. We have not heard a single suggestion despite calls from the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Minister for Finance for others to make credible proposals. We do not want suggestions for income tax rates of 100%.

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