Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion.

If we were to look for another way to express the concept of storing up problems, I do not think there are better words than "child poverty" and "child homelessness" to capture it. The lasting inequality and lifelong implications the Government is storing up because of its failure to deal with these crises will live with us for generations. Experiencing poverty as a child lowers life expectancy, increases risk of health issues and impacts across a range of other areas including crime, addiction, mental health, employment and education; the list goes on. With every inspirational story of people who have overcome the odds, the Government must acknowledge that thousands more are left behind. The levels of child poverty and homelessness that we currently have in this country represent a total breach of the social contract. In a country as rich as we are, it is chilling that in 2024, 104,780 children or 8.5% of our child population in Ireland, experienced consistent poverty, nearly double the rate of 2023. One in five children lives in enforced deprivation, all while we have full employment and a booming economy. How can it be that in a country where most people have jobs and we have so much money flowing in, 20% of our children are going without? It is because this Government is failing them. It can table as many amendments to the motion as it likes. These children are not just numbers; every one of them is a child who has fallen through every safety net of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments.

The Minister's Cabinet colleague yesterday trotted out the line we hear all the time that we do not have a monopoly on empathy. We know that. The people we are talking about today are some of the most voiceless in society. We in the Social Democrats and our colleagues across the left will continue to display that empathy here in the Chamber and hold the Government to account for its continued failure to deal with these crises.

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