Seanad debates

Thursday, 20 November 2008

10:30 am

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

It is appropriate, at a time when there is ever more pressure on families, individuals and those who are marginalised in our society, that we have this debate and ask the Minister to explain his thinking behind the changes to these organisations. The IHRC, an internationally recognised body, was established to protect human rights. Yesterday the media reported on the case of the woman who was to be deported to Nigeria with her two daughters who are at risk of female genital mutilation. It is important that we have strong independent bodies. The Combat Poverty Agency has been abolished.

In conjunction with that, I would like a debate on equality, which some people think is passé. However, it is not passé. As we approach the 90th anniversary of women being given the right to vote on 14 December, that would be an appropriate date for the House to debate this issue and to examine why politics remains so resistant to women's participation in society. It is the last bastion in this regard. We have 87% representation by men in the Dáil and 80% in the Seanad, although this Seanad has the highest representation of women ever, at 20%. That increase in representation is welcome. It would be appropriate that that debate coincided with the anniversary in December.

Families heard this morning that their health insurance will cost them a couple of hundred euro more a year. This must be tallied with the changes in the budget. Families are losing out badly, the details of which will be outlined later in the Finance Bill. Stealth taxes include the increase in third level registration and school transport fees. I attended a meeting in Lucan last night which outlined that schools were recently told the money that had been made available for a pilot project to provide school buses had been withdrawn, thus adding to the chaos around schools every day. The pilot school transport scheme is also affected. We need to have the promised debate on the economy and the Finance Bill as soon as possible. Perhaps the Leader will inform us today when that will happen.

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