Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion put forward by the Labour Party. It quite correctly calls for a fair start for every child in Ireland. All young people should be able to reach their potential regardless of family background and of how much money their parents have in their pockets. Unfortunately, many young people in this city and island grow up in poverty and homeless. One judges a society by how it treats its most vulnerable, and children who are homeless, children with disabilities, children in State care, and children in direct provision centres all need to be prioritised because they are our most vulnerable citizens.

The motion speaks about childcare. It has been shown time and again that investment in early years education has a positive effect on children's development and ends up benefiting both society and the economy in the long run. Parents should not have to pay the equivalent of a second mortgage for childcare, but neither should childcare workers, who are skilled workers, be paid so little.

The motion speaks about the rights of adopted persons to their family history. With everything we have learned in recent years of the illegal adoption scandal, this is very important.

We saw protests outside the Dáil last week by same-sex parents demanding that the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 be implemented. Same-sex parents are still being discriminated against when it comes to parental rights, and this has a major impact on their children in terms of their legal and guardianship rights. The delay in sorting this out has been unacceptable.

We have a lot more to do. The Proclamation of 1916 spoke about "cherishing all the children of the nation equally", and that is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

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