Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I do not know why the figure for child benefit was mentioned at all because the same amount is applied to both one-parent families and families of other configurations. A couple of months ago we dealt with the Government's Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, which provided for a reduction in the cut-off age of children for one-parent family payments to seven years. At the eleventh hour and under immense pressure, the Minister promised not to introduce the provision in the absence of a bankable commitment on child care. At the time, we asked what that bankable commitment was, and now, as the Bill has started to take effect, I ask this once again. Has the Minister prepared or is she drafting legislation to repeal those changes in the event that this commitment is not delivered? We talked earlier about CE schemes and the debate on whether existing child care facilities will be able to survive given recent changes. These are my key questions: what is the bankable commitment on child care, and what will happen at the end of the year?

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