Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

As it is moving to the next phase, it is very important that the 116000 number be launched as a matter of urgency. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, to ensure this happens.

While speaking of children's hotlines, I repeat what I said here previously. It is appalling that Childline is funded completely from voluntary contributions. It costs €6 million to run Childline. If it were not for the good nature of the people who fundraise for Childline, we would not have this facility. Each day hundreds of calls remain unanswered because Childline does not have the resources, which is an indictment of the country.