Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have long ago lost confidence in the Taoiseach's ability to make any real leadership impact at European summits, either in Irish interests or in the interests of working people across the European Union. Therefore, I suppose the best I can wish him is a good and a safe trip. I notice his absence from the Chamber, which shows disregard for the Dáil and, in particular, for the Opposition.

He mentioned earlier the European semester and the EU country report for 2015. What he did not say was that this report pointed out major issues still facing our economy. This report and the previous one make very clear that, despite claims by the Government, there is no imminent return to Irish economic sovereignty. The report makes the point that growth figures are unreliable, public debt is still very high and the financial sector is not lending to the real economy. There are some positives, granted, but the overall picture is one of an economy divided by inequality.

On poverty and children, the report reveals that almost a quarter of people live in households where nobody is working, which is a point that bears repeating, or they are working for just a few hours a week. This is the highest proportion in the EU and, while the figure was high before the crisis emerged, it has doubled on the watch of this Government. We also have the highest number of children living in jobless households, a figure that has risen from 26% in 2007 to 34% in 2013. The report states: "Studies show there is a wide range of household joblessness in need of tailor-made measures going beyond labour market activation interventions." Is this not a damning indictment of the Government's approach to the unemployment situation?

The report is also critical of the very high cost of child care here, which means that only one parent can work outside the family home.

In 2013, the average child care fee was €152 per child per week, amounting to almost €16,000 a year for a two-child family. The report notes that as a percentage of wages, child care costs are higher than in any other EU state. Access to full-time child care is famously limited and the quality of services remains a problem, because backup, training and decent pay for the people in the sector remain an issue.

The data on youth employment is particularly negative and raises serious issues with regard to the type of society being built here for the future. We have one of the highest percentages of young people not in employment, education or training, and an increasing number seem to have lost hope. Despite the fact that a third of companies employ IT professionals, 42% of the Irish workforce have few or no digital skills. Last year, half of all companies, the highest rate in the EU, said they had problems trying to recruit IT workers.

The report is very critical of a range of issues, not surprisingly, in our health care system. It points to its two-tier nature, which it says is very different from the system in other European states. It notes, for example, that the private system covers the highest share of people in any EU state for supplementary health services and that spending on health care was higher than the EU average, yet life expectancy and infant mortality are no better than in the rest of the EU.

An issue we have tried to get the Government to respond to positively for some time is the fact that half of the proposed mortgage solutions in this State involve legal proceedings. I have listened to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and the Taoiseach trying to play down the significance of this issue. They both tried to claim that the banks are only using the legal process to force people to re-engage. That is offensive. A person in danger of losing his or her house wants to engage and save the family home. No one I know who is trying to help people to deal with their debt agrees with the Government's propaganda. They do not agree because they have seen a wave of repossessions taking place recently. The Government's policy facilitates the banks. It rejected Sinn Féin proposals on this issue. We would have ended the bank veto. That shows that the Government's priorities lie with the elites rather than with families at risk of having their homes repossessed.

The Commission also warned about the precarious situation with Irish Water and pointed to the lack of clarity about its financial future. The Commission said there were questions as to whether Irish Water would have the power to borrow on open markets. All of this reflects badly on the Government and exposes its propaganda on these matters.

The Minister, Deputy Noonan, now thinks some of the rules for dealing with the smaller states are too inflexible and that they need a break. My suspicion is that as he continues to crank up the pre-election auction politics, he fears the tax cutting plans for some may fall foul of the expenditure benchmark. It is a bit late in the day for him to try to argue that he has the interests of smaller states at heart.

On his way into Monday's Eurogroup meeting, the Minister said the Greek finance Minister would no longer head Greece's negotiations. I do not know what business it was of his, but he was wrong. It was widely reported and, quite rightly, resulted in a very strong reaction from the Greek Government. Will the Government take the opportunity to apologise to the Greek Prime Minister for that offensive remark?

I wish the Taoiseach well on his visit to the USA. Perhaps the Minister of State will extend my good wishes to him. I ask that he raise the need for immigration reform while he is there and explain to the diaspora why his Government has resiled from the commitment given, which is in keeping with the recommendations of the Constitutional Convention, that Irish citizens living outside the State be given votes in presidential elections.

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