Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I welcome the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. It is nice to see a Minister as tall as me here on occasion. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important Bill – I am conscious of the importance of the topic but am not so sure about the importance of the content of the Bill.

I would look at various levels of society to see which areas have benefited and which have not benefited to the extent that was hoped. Social welfare is no exception in this regard and I intend to speak out on behalf of widows and widowers, pensioners, carers and those misfortunate enough to be unemployed. I hope that the context in which I speak will not be interpreted as being pinko, lefty or any other Charlie McCreevy type term for those who occupy the real left on the Irish political spectrum.