David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I second the amendment. I welcome the Minister's appointment as someone from the south east. My wife, who is a councillor in Kilkenny Borough Council, recently attended an event at which he was honoured but I hope he will look after Waterford as well as Kilkenny in his role as Minister.

I agree with him that Fianna Fáil Members have brass necks to set out their opposition to water charges or speak about fairness, justice and equality given what they have done to this country. They have introduced charges which have devastated working families and caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs. More than 100,000 young people have left our shores through forced emigration because of the last Government's surrender of our sovereignty.