Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I do not know if one should express surprise or thank the Taoiseach for the brevity of his reply. Does he agree the child care supports offered to some civil servants are fair compared with those offered to other workers, especially those in the private sector and lower paid workers generally? Is the Taoiseach aware that one of the real difficulties is that entitlements, to which he alluded briefly, exist not as statutory rights but as the result of long, hard negotiations and agreement? For many people the option of parental leave is not a real option because it is not provided for in law. Surveys have indicated that a mere 20% of workers who could exercise the right to take parental leave——

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