Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McDonald for her welcome for the publication of the constitutional amendment to enshrine the rights of children, for the first time, in our Constitution. I welcome her support and that of her party for the Government's effort in that regard. I hope we will, collectively, succeed in having the referendum passed and having, for the first time, the rights of children enshrined in our Constitution.

The Government gives a high priority to children and to their welfare, safety and rights. That is why, for the first time in the history of the State, we have a Cabinet Minister who is responsible for children and youth affairs and a Department that is responsible for children and youth affairs. Every measure taken by Government and every proposal, whether budgetary, financial or legislative, is examined by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and by her Department before the measure is discussed at Cabinet. The views and observations of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and her Department are taken into account in any decision we make. That will be the case in budget matters and any other matter that comes before Government.

The Government is determined to turn the economy around. We inherited a situation where our economy was on the floor. We have a job of work to do, in which we are making progress, to turn the economy around and to create employment and the wealth and income to lift people out of poverty. Our efforts at economic recovery are not an end in themselves. They are a means to achieving a more equal and fairer society in which we have fewer poor people.

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