Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned the number of reports the Department is doing, including one on jobseeker's transition, JST. Is JST exclusive to lone parents? Perhaps the report could cover a number of the issues we are discussing. The Minister said the best way out of poverty was to get a job. The difficulty is that the changes brought about have made it less attractive for many lone parents to go out to work. I have read the Millar report and it accords exactly with my experience in dealing with my constituents every day. I could bring several constituency files to the Minister which clearly show how lone parents are losing out as a result of the changes. Therein lies the difficulty. The Minister said it was early days to review the system. However, it has been in operation for more than two years. Many people, not lone parents who stay at home and collect their social welfare but genuine people who want to better themselves and improve their family circumstances by going out to work, are worse off and continue to be worse off as a result of the changes. We cannot put it on the long finger or discuss the potential for different schemes in the future. It is having a real effect on real people as we speak.

I did not take in the Minister's last point. Does he propose that he will commission the ESRI or some outside body to produce an independent report which would be available to the committee? That is good and I welcome it. However, I must be a little sceptical about these things. I was here when the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Joan Burton, made a very firm commitment to the House that the changes would not be brought about until the Scandinavian child care system was in place in this country. All sides of the House can agree that the former Minister's commitment was not honoured.