Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

That is an extraordinary comment by the Tánaiste, avoiding the core point of the question. If he agrees with the Minister, Deputy Burton, who perhaps believes she is Tánaiste in a different way, that the age of seven is too young for anyone to contemplate access to education or adequate child care on the Scandinavian model, why put this into the Bill in the first place? Why make this decision in the budget to reduce the age to seven at all? Is it in or is it out? The Government cannot have it both ways. This is classic Labour Party stuff. A bit of pressure comes on so we pretend to people that we will change but leave it in. Surely the only honourable and sincere approach, if the Tánaiste really believes that the age of seven is too young, is simply to delete section 4 and leave things as they are. That is the only sincere approach and it is a classic example of the Labour Party wrestling with its conscience, but the Labour Party always wins.

What is going on is outrageously deceptive. This Cabinet is bringing legislation before the House and is asking every other Member to debate it and agree with it, and the Minister says that she wants us to vote on a section in the Bill but she has not decided on it yet because she has to talk to the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, and unless they give her a bankable delivery on a Scandinavian child care model, then she will not go ahead with it. That is incoherent government. It is a bad government process. It is not collective Cabinet responsibility and has nothing to do with how legislation is properly brought before the House. It should be withdrawn.

Will the Tánaiste give a commitment to the House that he will propose the deletion of section 4 of the Bill? If he agrees it is wrong and if the Minister for Social Protection agrees it is wrong, I am sure the Minister for Finance will not object, nor will the Taoiseach bring him into line like he did last Sunday. This is ridiculous behaviour. Can the Tánaiste confirm that this section of the Bill will be deleted?

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