Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Why do we need equality budgeting? We need it because of the spectacle today, where parents, who are heroes, are in the Gallery advocating for their children. Every parent and every carer for a disabled person is a hero, but we have failed them in politics because we make promises and then they are broken.

Equality budgeting solves that because it ensures that every single budget measure, intervention or new policy from a Department is subject to an equality impact assessment, and the vulnerable who are failed repeatedly by politics are protected by legislation. That is why it is so vital to bring in equality budgeting and protect those who are most vulnerable in society.

The Minister of State is aware that this is wrong. She will make a speech and tell us that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, is conducting a review and they will have a programme and do their best subject to budgetary constraints. Is that what she entered politics for? When she was a much younger woman, with all the progressive ideals that she had at that time, and the equality and fairness for which she stood, did she ever imagine she would find herself in the seat opposite right now having to defend the indefensible? At some point, one must search inside one's self and ask, "How can I stand against equality budgeting?" How can she allow the wealthiest in Irish society to have another celebration? The champagne bottles were probably popping all around Ireland to celebrate because they had been let off the hook again.

That is how one frees up resources. We have shown the Minister of State how she can free up €1.4 billion by asking the very wealthy in Irish society to contribute, yet all we need here is €12 million - she can work out the percentage. It is about choices.

The Minister of State can choose to defend the vulnerable in Irish society. She can choose to protect those who need our support, who have nobody else to protect them and who are failed repeatedly by politics and promises, or she can merely blame it on somebody else. There is no hiding place on this one. There is no big bad troika. There is no big bad Fine Gael. This is a choice. When the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, puts her head down after all her years in politics, puts her head on the pillow and looks back, she will see this was not her greatest moment.

Deputy Lynch should turn this around. She has the power. She is in government. She has a strong bloc of TDs and Senators. She has significant power. She can change this. She has two more years for her legacy. I appeal to her to go back to her roots to find Kathleen Lynch, the younger woman who started this journey, and stand up for the rights of those here. If she can do so I will be a happy man but, more importantly, there are a great many across this State who will celebrate with me. I wish her good luck with that.

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