Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

Yesterday, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul made a presentation to the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs. It outlined the supports it provides to families on low incomes or those surviving on welfare benefits. It spends tens of millions of euro every year to provide supports in the areas of food, clothing and heating among others.

One particular area mentioned by a number of Senators is the provision of psychological assessments for children and families. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul now spends a fair percentage of its annual income every year on this service. It is appalling that families in difficulty who cannot get the psychological assessments necessary for their children must go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to fund this service. It is a poor reflection on our society, the Government and the legislation we dealt with in this House.