Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Teachta Pringle on bringing forward this Bill. In particular, I commend his persistence. I believe this is his third time introducing an economic, social and cultural rights Bill. It has been voted down each time by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, yet here we are again hoping that the Government might finally do the right thing for its citizens and allow the legislation to progress.

Last year, Fianna Fáil's election slogans saw it looking for "An Ireland for All", while Fine Gael was "Building a Republic of Opportunity". Unfortunately, we have neither. The Inequality Virus report released by Oxfam yesterday shows that the fortunes of Ireland's billionaires has increased to €3.3 billion since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, we have hundreds of thousands of ordinary workers with less than half the household income they had a year ago due to the pandemic. We also have thousands of workers on the minimum wage whereas we should be working on a credible plan for a living wage. It is like A Tale of Two Cities- the best of times for the haves and the worst of times for the have-nots. It is the spring of hope for a few and it is the winter of despair for many.

For a hundred years, the Government parties have built an Ireland of two tiers. Take our health system, for example. It is only accessible in an acceptable timeframe to those who can afford to pay hundreds of euro in consultants' fees. Not only do we have a two-tier health system, we also have a two-tier education system. Parents and students have been in contact with me to say that they are on long waiting lists for school places next September. The Minister's answer to this is that it is probably due to duplication. There is no plan to identify whether this definitely the case or to find a solution. Meanwhile, private schools are available for those who can afford extortionate fees. We also have a two-tier housing system. Housing assistance payment is seen by councils as the only show in town. It is the subsidising of private landlords who can pick and choose their tenants. It is not acceptable as a solution. The only solution is to build housing, namely, public housing on public land.

These three basic rights of health, education and housing need to be defended from the privatisation agenda of the Government parties. These are fundamental rights and need to be protected. Access should not rely on the ability to pay. As my colleague stated, Ireland ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1989, thereby agreeing to be legally bound by its provisions. Nothing but lip service has been paid since, however. It is time for the Government to dust off the 2015 report of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on Ireland on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It should even have a look at the headings of the report which discussed the rights to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, access to justice and the scope of legal aid, the equal rights of men and women to the enjoyment of economic and social rights, the right to an adequate standard of living and the protection of families, mothers and children.

The Government is failing in all of these areas. We need an Ireland of equals - a fairer Ireland. We should not have red tape tying up treatments such as patisiran that keep people alive. We should not have the housing and social welfare system discriminating against single fathers like a young gentleman and his son who I have been assisting in my constituency. I urge Teachtaí of all parties and none to support this Bill and I again thank Deputy Pringle for introducing it.

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