Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The two-tier recovery is continuing, according to a report by a think tank which shows that 10% of people in this country have nearly 50% of the wealth; 20% have 75% yet the bottom 50% have only 5%. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has shown that this Government’s budgets have hit those at the bottom the hardest and protected those at the top, whereas our budgets got most out of those who had the most and protected those at the bottom who had the least to give. We see the result of that two-tier recovery in a report that one in five children goes to bed or school hungry every week. The Government’s commentator in chief, who holds the title Minister for Health, commented yesterday on Deputy Wallace’s brief incarceration. The leader of the Labour Party was quoted last week in The Irish Examinersaying he should focus his comments on the Department of Health. There is plenty to comment on there. When asked to comment on the fact that one in five children goes to bed or school hungry each week, he was able to find a silver lining in that dark cloud by saying at least the consumption of fruit and vegetables is up and the consumption of sweets is down. That of course is only for the four out of five who can afford them not the one in five who goes to bed and school hungry each week. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Health to come to the House to discuss this report? I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to have a debate on the issue that one in five children goes to bed or school hungry every week. The Minister has been able to comment on many things but as his real title is Minister for Health he should focus on that.

In Famine times, when the Irish went to the United States, there were many who did not want them to go there and tried to block their entry because they were Catholics. The Irish were refugees from a Famine of biblical proportions and even those who have Christian values did not espouse the view that they should love their neighbour. They did not even live up to the ideals of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddling masses yearning to breathe free”. They come out with comments about members of different faiths, not Catholics but the Muslim faith with bigoted and racist comments. We would expect more from people running for high office.