Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach should have been a weather forecaster. His personal statement to the House earlier in respect of his comments last week about a former chief executive of Aer Lingus dealt in part with the flak that might have flown if he had waited until now to make it. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform said that Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats will be as thick as thieves before the general election, but I did not think the Taoiseach would take it that far.

I would like to ask the Taoiseach about the Government's proposed early child care supplement scheme, as distinct from the child benefit scheme which has been in operation reciprocally for many years and which everybody supports. On 30 January this year, an announcement was made on RTE that the Government intended to introduce a new early child care supplement, designed to deal with the cost of child care for children in this country. It was said at the time that the supplement would also be paid in respect of children who are not resident here. When we raised this issue with the Taoiseach, he indicated that the cost of the scheme would be approximately €1 million. On 31 January last, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, said the Government would carefully monitor the situation, particularly the cost. On 9 February, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, said the cost would be approximately €2.7 million. In a Dáil reply on 26 April, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, announced that a cost of approximately €10.8 million would have accrued by the end of 2006. The Department of Social and Family Affairs has stated in recent days that the cost could escalate to approximately €30 million in 2007.

See this speech in context