James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not the Minister for Health but I know from talking to him and from being at Cabinet meetings that there are considerable additional funds for health this year. In fairness to this Government, we have brought in free GP care for all children under six and made a commitment to bring it in for all children under 12. That is to be welcomed. In respect of primary care, when I last checked, we were still opening a new primary care centre at a rate of one per month, which is quite an achievement given the recession we have just been through.

I agree with the Deputy that most care should be given in primary care facilities and that we need community facilities for children in particular. I also agree that we need early intervention, particularly when it comes to speech and language therapy and behaviour therapy, to pick up problems early and to get the best outcomes for our children. What we all desire for our children is that they be afforded the opportunity to realise their full potential, whatever that potential might be. That is all any parent asks, that their child has the best chance in life.

This Government has done a great deal of work in this regard, with the first full-time Minister, a new Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the children's referendum, the new child care package we have put in place and the removal of the defence of reasonable chastisement. We have made a great deal of progress during a very difficult period. For the first time, the Government and the people have acknowledged in a real way that the dark past of which we have all become aware in respect of how our children were treated has come to an end and now we seek to continue to improve their opportunities because when we improve their opportunities, we improve our society as a whole.

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