Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to make a clarification. With huge respect, I need to put on the record, lest there be any ambiguity, that under no circumstances am I setting a situation whereby any one demographic in our State is the nirvana to which everybody else should aspire. Over the past year with Covid, we have seen demonstrations of community in every socioeconomic group and every possible profile in our State. We have seen fantastic community cohesion that many of the so-called leafy suburbs could really learn from. People have had bingo in flat complexes. There is a richness of real community spirit that everybody could learn from. There is no one particular group in our State that has it all together. Behind the doors of many of the so-called affluent leafy suburbs are women who are the subject of domestic violence who have no access to the income of that home.

All children, regardless of where they are, where they grow up and what community in the State they grow up in, should have the opportunities, resources and investment available to them that recognise the challenges within the community that may come from historic and other deprivation factors and indicators. Every child should have the aspiration to live the life they want and need. While I completely understand and agree that the language in the Bill is awkward, I cannot accept Senator Warfield's amendment because "mixed income" does not capture the diversity required. To merely differentiate people on the basis of income is not a suitable alternative either. I ask the Minister of State for a discussion and suggest that we have more appropriate language for the next time around.