Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I am trying to respond seriously to the Deputies' praise for Scandinavia. We are spending a huge amount of money on social protection. I have defended that expenditure because in a time of recession it is an important stimulus along the lines of Keynesian economics. I realise that Deputy Boyd Barrett is not a follower of Keynesian economics. He probably rejects it out of hand because he follows Trotskyite economics. The people of this country are willing to contribute €20 billion in taxes and PRSI to provide a good system that protects them when they become unemployed or retire and when their children are young. This expenditure is considerable by international standards. I hope the Deputy recognises the contributions our taxpayers and workers make to maintain this system.

Why is Ireland an outlier in creating opportunities for those who are parenting on their own to become financially independent? The Deputies opposite say they share that goal. Even though we are spending more than €1 billion directly on lone parent supports it is not having the desired outcome in terms of helping lone parents and their children to exit poverty. Despite spending all this money we continue to have a higher proportion of children in poverty than most other countries. I ask the Deputies for positive suggestions on how we can continue to commit €20 billion in social welfare while achieving better outcomes.

Throughout my life in politics I have worked with lone parents and I have been involved in community development in a detailed way. I have several friends with grown children who parented alone over a long period of time and who now believe they should have been able to go to school or training when they younger in order to achieve better employment over the long term.

I am sure the Deputies opposite know heroic parents who raised their children on their own. They did outstanding work in bringing up their children and parents in two-parent families did the same. I do not like the way many of the speakers in this debate put lone parents and, more importantly, their children into a separate category. I never heard the term that Deputy Boyd Barrett used in regard to lone parents and I will not repeat it because it is derogatory. It may be a southside Dublin term but I have never heard it on the northside or the westside. He should withdraw it.

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