Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----we were building houses. I remember standing at the end of Ballygall Avenue in Finglas with my sister in 1972 and seeing prefabricated houses going past on the back of lorries, on their way to build west and south Finglas. They were not perfect but from those estates came the boys I went to school with and the girls who went to school with my sisters and they went on to make a big contribution to Irish society. I have mentioned my friend but every professional group and area of public life is populated with people who had the advantage of a roof over their heads. I absolutely accept the Minister of State's bona fides and his commitment to ensuring that we rectify this problem but, if you are living in a family hub or a hotel, all that human capital is lost.Despite the economic indices mentioned by many here, and it is true that Ireland has been transformed through membership of the EU and foreign direct investment, in terms of social indices, the inequal distribution of wealth and advantage has worsened.