Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the announcement about the citizens' assembly today. It is no exaggeration to say there is a weight of expectation in regard to what the assembly might recommend. Obviously we do not want to pre-empt the outcome of what the assembly might say but the attempt to prosecute our way to a drug-free country has simply failed. Because of that approach over a number of decades, there are thousands of people suffering in private or in a more public form from the stigma and shame within their own communities and in terms of health, housing and work. That has to change. I welcome the announcement today and the April date given.

I also wish to raise the establishment by the Taoiseach of the child poverty unit. We heard that announcement over Christmas. I warmly welcome that announcement. There has been a failure right across Government for many years in regard to child poverty. Our public finances are in a healthy position yet people are living in poverty in this country. It is not a new phenomenon from the cost-of-living crisis. There is housing, social welfare and education, but I also want to raise access to early years education. While the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has done progressive work with regard to childcare over the past year in particular, there is a stumbling block in that Department, which does not recognise that there is a difficulty in accessing free preschool places in Dublin’s north inner city, because the physical space is not available. I acknowledge that the Department is doing good work but I also highlight its blind spot in regard to this issue. I hope the Taoiseach’s child poverty unit can take up this issue. I ask that the Taoiseach come into the Chamber to set out his vision as to what the unit will look like, and also for us to set forward what our priorities should be for it.