Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

That was a cook's tour of everything. The Taoiseach was going off mike but I think he mentioned domestic violence. He said he had met victims of domestic violence but he has cut all the funding for the agencies that deal with violence against women and domestic violence. It was a strange example to pick.

The Taoiseach mentioned special needs, but in my area, which has massive schools of 900 pupils and more, mainly because not enough schools were built, there is huge concern at the way the Government is planning to change the allocation of resources for children. Meetings have been called in Castleknock on this subject. People should get special needs allocations because they need it, regardless of income. Taking from Peter to pay Paul does not create equality and the Government is planning, for its own ends, to take from one school to give to another.

I gave the Taoiseach an example from the multinational sector and asked him a specific question about Apple. Does he not now agree that he should drop his opposition to the European Commission's pursuit of Apple? It would allow the €17 billion in question to come into this country to be used for the housing crisis and for people on the ground who need it.

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