Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I met Mr. Gerhard Schick, deputy chairman of the German finance committee, for an hour and a half or an hour and three quarters on Monday of last week straight after he arrived on his committee's visit. He had a wrong impression of the 1.5 million people of our 4.5 million population whose lives had been turned inside out. Some 250,000 have emigrated, 385,000 are long-term unemployed and 170,000 families are in deep mortgage distress. That is 500,000 people.

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