I had not intended to speak. I thought I would be speaking on Thursday. I welcome the legislation but while the Minister is here, I remind her of the commitment given to provide childcare, which is far from being delivered. It is true to say that this State lets children down. The poverty figures prove this. The number of children in enduring and consistent poverty is still rising and that is down to Government policy. It is very good to talk about child protection and about reform and enhancing the role of the State in child protection, but the statistics tell us this is simply not a priority for the Government. I urge the Minister to try to put children at the centre of Government policy, specifically issues of child welfare and neglect and children living in consistent and enduring poverty. Those children need and deserve to have a champion at the Cabinet table. They need someone to speak up for them. They do not often have a voice. Their parents are struggling to get to the end of the week or the end of the day and very often they do not have the capacity to advocate, so it falls to politicians and the Minister as the lead on this. The buck stops with her. When the number of children in poverty in this State is rising at the rate it is, it is fair to say that children are not a priority for the Government. They should be. As my colleagues outlined, we welcome the legislation and the chance to have a discussion about children and their needs. Often when we discuss children's needs here, it is under the heading of unmet needs. It is rare we have a chance to discuss anything else. That says where the issues are. The statistics also do not lie; they give the full picture of what happens behind closed doors for many children. We hear from parents who skip meals to ensure their children can be fed. We hear they delay paying bills and put themselves into debt just to ensure their children can get the basics, and very often the State is found wanting. The statistics on child poverty show that it is increasing at an alarming rate. They tell a tale of how children are treated. It is evident at every age and stage of a child's life. It can be seen right through from childbirth. The much vaunted and long promised €200 per week childcare vanished like snow off a ditch the minute the election posters were taken down. I fear, as the Government has stopped talking about it, that we are even further away from that commitment that was given. Time and again, we see children slide down the Government's agenda. As I said, I hope the Minister will be - I know she should be - the person who champions the cause of children in poverty and is their voice at the Cabinet table because they do not seem to have much of a voice within the Government.

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