Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I refer to the Minister's speech in the Dáil on 8 December when he stated:

The Department of Social and Family Affairs while representing a valuable source of payments, entitlements and supports, must be viewed in a broader context....[The Department] must constantly monitor the pulse of our changing society and broaden and evolve to respond to changes. As I said before in this House, the economic surge during the Celtic tiger era did not raise all boats.

I have known the Minister for 20 years. He has a tremendous reputation for efficiency. He is an action orientated politician and his supporters are the most loyal.