Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What I am saying is that there is no point in passing Bills here if we are going to break the laws ourselves. The Government of the day clearly broke the law in regard to the children's referendum. This was the unanimous decision of the highest court in this land, but there was no debate and not a word uttered on that here, yet it is an issue I have raised here 116 times. The Minister of State does not seem to know what I am talking about judging by the way he is looking at me, but what I have said is a fact. Our constituents know this yet we talk about openness, transparency and democracy.

We have seen a €15 million cut to funding for mental health, yet we have heaps of money for this referendum. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has decided to cut funding for housing adaption grants by 40% for the most needy, yet the Government has money to spend on this referendum. Nobody asked for it but we are told it came from the Constitutional Convention. We are losing €15 million in Leader funding but we have money for issues like this. There are serious issues that should be put to a referendum, but the Government runs away from those issues. We should have a referendum on Irish Water and the Bill I introduced demanded a referendum on that issue. We should let the people decide whether they want a super quango like Irish Water but we are not getting that referendum.

We have chronic shortages in social welfare and we could make a long list of cuts. The Government did away with the motorised transport grant for needy people, but the benefit was supposed to return after a couple of months. It has not been restored yet we have money to throw at issues like this. I do wish to demean any young people, but I believe they need life experience before they can become Uachtarán na hÉireann and look after Bunreacht na hÉireann and our people and representatives abroad. I am not knocking young people, but I would like to see a common sense proposal, not the patent nonsense we are getting from the Government nor its patent disregard for the laws and courts of the land.

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