Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that we can have a situation whereby the working poor suffer from inequality and poverty but the job of Government is to grow the economy to a point where that disappears and where these people know that they are contributing for their futures and for the economy. It is not possible to do that unless we get them to have the opportunity to have work and not be cast aside, as they were for years, on a disillusioned list of unemployed people and seen as having no contribution to make other than draw the soft money. That has changed. These people want to contribute and be given the opportunity, incentive and motivation actually to do that.

Deputy Boyd Barrett asked about the indicators of squalor. They include poor housing and poor water. How does Deputy Boyd Barrett think we will deal with that? We are investing €300 million per year in water services at the moment. It costs €1.2 billion to produce that water and 40% of it is leaking away into the ground. Does Deputy Boyd Barrett think it is fine to leave that the way it is?

See this speech in context