Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I am sure Senators on both sides will agree with me when I say the work of the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation which is ably headed by its CEO, Mr. Jonathan Irwin, should be supported by the House and the Government, particularly when one hears from it today about the cost of caring for a child in a residential institution, as opposed to at home. The contrast in the figures is extraordinary. It costs €147,000 a year to care for a child in a residential setting and just over €16,000 if he or she is given the support the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation gives to children. I ask the Leader to take up this point with the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, and ask her to approach the HSE to see how this work can be further supported because it represents a saving to the State.

I want to focus on the jobless figures and the increase in unemployment. If one considers those figures and the decrease in the tax take, one can see that the words used by the Government, namely, that we have turned a corner and the worst is over, are not true.