Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise two items. I want to raise the issue of the necessity for a second Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, SAVI, survey. This survey would cost in the region of €1 million. Given the various different court cases that have come to public attention over the recent weeks and the issue of sexual assault and sexual violence in Ireland has been heavily debated, it is appalling that the Government can find €5 million for a communications unit but cannot find €1 million to undertake this study. I would ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Justice and Equality in here to discuss the issue of sexual violence and assault in Ireland and to justify to this House why €5 million on getting the Government's message out is worthwhile but €1 million to discover ways that we can tackle sexual assault and violence in Ireland is not.

I also want to raise the issue of the tracker mortgage situation. I want the Leader and this House to understand how serious this issue is for social cohesion in Ireland. There are young people and not so young people in disadvantaged communities around this country who are always on the wrong end of the law for minor infractions, be it shoplifting or public order offences. The book is thrown at them, left, right and centre if they get on the wrong side of the law, and they are looking at this situation in terms of the tracker mortgage scenario. I am sure they are wondering to themselves why bankers always seem to get more time and understanding, and that fundamentally, when it comes down to it we as a political collective do not seem to come to the conclusion that we are basically dealing with a mafia type mindset, an amoral group with no conscience who treat everything and everybody as secondary to their fundamental motive of screwing people until they can get enough money out of them. All they care about is profit and money, and they will say the right things and they will do the right things in committees and come to meetings with Ministers. How can one look a young person in the face who is facing a court hearing or interacting with a juvenile liaison officer over some shoplifting or some public order offence? Everything is thrown at that young person, basically because he or she is poor, but this shower of bastards are getting away with murder, year in, year out, in this democracy.