Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind the Minister about some of the sentiments expressed by her and her party leader in opposition. For example, in February 2011, in the teeth of a general election campaign, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, when asked what would be of central importance to the Labour Party in entering government, stated, "[Things] like not cutting child benefit any further. Enough is enough. Families can take no more." Exactly one year before he stated: "It is the only State recognition that there is of mothers because it is paid directly to mothers ... Does Labour see room for some cuts? No, we don’t." On 19 February 2011 he stated: "Fine Gael need to drop their plans to cut child benefit, that's one, so let's start with that one."

In 2010 the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, stated: "There's a lot of big houses all around the country where, inside those houses, there's actually very little money because people are at the pin of their collar paying their mortgages and the child benefit is a critical income support to put food on the table."

See this speech in context