Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the fact that we are going to debate the report on child abuse and the flooding later in the week. There are many reasons for failure but there are no excuses. I hope that the debate will focus on how best to go from here and how to help the many who have suffered as a result of the abuse and the floods.

I hope that these debates can be constructive. I am not sure the television programme "The Frontline" serves us well. It feeds anger but, far from providing a forum to find solutions, it is more like a Monday night firing squad, in line with Jerry Springer's and Jeremy Kyle's programmes.