Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I am also happy the change has come through and that the Minister changed her position, but I still think we should consider the fact that lone parents who are in work will lose money by virtue of the family dividend payment. I wish to reiterate the point made by Single Parents Acting for the Rights of Kids, SPARK, and One Family at the committee meeting, that on the basis of the figures it provided on 20 hours, 28 hours and 35 hours, lone parents would lose out over the next three years. People in work will lose money due to the change. I put the question to the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and she agreed that they would lose money. What a nice response to get. The Government is introducing legislation although it knows that lone parents who most need it are losing money and that no proper, affordable child care facilities are in place. That is a scandal.