Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)

I, too, ask the Minister to delete this section. I see it as an example of what I described last night as the dismantling of social welfare benefits. These benefits have been won by generations of workers and their unions and this is an example of that targeting. This particular group - single parents - have been targeted not only in this Bill, but in the various proposals outlined in budget 2012.

If one talks to anybody involved in the area of child care and poverty and to organisations, such as Barnardos, one will find that a significant portion of the families which are in most danger of being in poverty or of falling into poverty are single parent families. The figures on relative poverty and consistent poverty show that the one parent family comprises a very high percentage of those figures. What is proposed here and what was introduced in budget 2012 will further increase pressures on families such as these and will further drive them into poverty.

Budget 2012 changed the means test not only for one year, but for a significant number of years. This year, one can earn €130 which is disregarded. That is down from €146 last year. In 2013, one will only be able to earn €110, in 2014, €90, in 2015, €75 and in 2016, €60. It will be a significant cut in income to single parent families over those years. Other items in that budget included significant cuts to community employment schemes which have been referred to already. They will effectively drive single parents out of community employment schemes which is what we do not want to happen. We want to ensure single parents, in so far as they can, become involved in the community and in work, if at all possible.

Everybody involved in this area has been shocked by the reduction in the age from 14 to seven. Whether we agree with the age of 14 is another matter but reducing it to seven is simply unacceptable. I have not come across any organisation or individual involved in this area who believes this is appropriate. Many people believe seven is simply too young and that it is dangerous. As other speakers said, for a child of seven to be left alone for any period of time would be regarded as neglect by the child services section of the HSE. The Minister said last week it would not be implemented unless a proper system of child care was in place. Even if we accept the Minister's bona fides in that regard, she may not be the Minister next week, next year or in 2014. Obviously, it may not be possible to stand by any verbal commitment she might give here in the future.

Nobody believes a proper system of affordable and accessible child care can be put in place by 2014. I know from my experience of being involved in the provision of community child care facilities in my constituency that the funding difficulties over the past number of years have not helped the provision of child care. In the current circumstances, I find it very difficult to accept that a proper system of affordable child care will be available and not only for after school. What about Christmas, Easter and summer holidays? It is not just a question of putting after school clubs in place. What is required is a fully fledged child care system which is available throughout the year and not just for particular times of the day, whether children are at school or otherwise. The age of seven is certainly too young. Nobody accepts that the level of child care necessary can be put in place in the time scale involved.

There are other issues such as training and flexible working hours. The issue of dropping children to school and collecting them has been raised. Single parents tend to work every day for a number of hours rather than for a full day. If they claim jobseeker's allowance, they will find that even one hour's work per day will rule them out for jobseeker's allowance for that day. Many single parents work from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. or 1.30 p.m. In the new situation, they will find that will rule them out for jobseeker's allowance for the rest of the day. There is a significant reduction in income for single parents in that scenario.

This section should be deleted. It is ill thought out and it targets one of the most vulnerable sections in our society which, as I already said, comprises a large percentage of the statistics on poverty in this country.

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