Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

It is equally important that we acknowledge that many different elements make a family. Some people want to stay at home, some want to work. It would pay some people who go to work better to stay at home, but they want to work. The provision of €1,000 per child up to the age of six is a tangible acknowledgement of this. We often hear people say the State does not do enough to allow people the choice to work or stay at home. No Government could satisfy all the various viewpoints on this issue. The Government has, however, taken a step in the right direction by supporting the child, the central person in the issue of child care.

Child care is not about providing income for parents or those caring for the child, but about providing income supports for the child. This has been forgotten in many debates on this issue. Child care is about addressing the needs of the child. The overall supports and increases, in particular the €1,000 for those under six and the increases in child benefit and family income supplement, benefit families with a number of children. As the number of children increases, so do payments. If we are serious about addressing all the supports a child will need during its life, we have made a significant step in the right direction in this Bill.

Child benefit has been debated ad nauseam. People ask what is the best way to direct payment at the child and some people complain there is no means test for child benefit. We must acknowledge the core principle that the benefit is for the child. It is up to the parents and guardians to decide where the money is spent. Many people can probably afford to spend it in areas that do not directly impact on the child's welfare on a daily basis. The general principle of treating all children equally is positive. Over the coming years, as a result of changes in child care support, demographics and the workforce we will see a greater need to advance the issue of flexible child care.

We are only just beginning to tap into and acknowledge this issue, which is pertinent on a number of fronts, primarily with regard to changes in the workforce and the desire of parents to work. Parents are entitled to work, even if they work for less. Work may be therapeutic for them, it may be what they want or that they interact with others. The provisions in this Bill are a positive step to encourage as many people as possible to work, without putting obstacles in their way if they want to stay at home.

Overall, the Minister can look back on this Social Welfare Bill and say that the Cabinet debate was successful in delivering a tangible benefit to individuals. The Bill is not just about a €13.5 billion social welfare package, but about what it delivers to individuals and how it changes and enhances their lives. I commend the Minister and this Bill to the Dáil.

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