Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

It was not a study of them and did not actually conclude that there was no impact on women. In fact, it concluded that there was an impact on women who were in a relationship. The study to which I would like to refer the Tánaiste - and I am sure she is not contradicting it as it is well known - is by the National Women's Council. It concluded that equality had been cast aside during the crisis; lone parents, the low paid and the poor were special targets for raising cash to recapitalise the banks; mother-headed households were more likely to be in debt for gas, electricity and rent; and women were more likely to be paying for the crisis. I will not go into it, the Tánaiste knows it well.

I would like the Tánaiste to go back to the two specific issues I raised, of lone parents and the 8th amendment, which she studiously did not mention at all. Regarding lone parents, this is the second promise to women the Tánaiste has broken. On posters before the election, she promised that she would not cut child benefit. She cut it - she took €10 and gave back €5. She promised last July that she would not proceed with these cuts to lone parents unless Scandinavian style child care was in place. There is no Scandinavian style child care. I am sure a lot of women would like to go out to work, be it part-time or full-time, but for lone parents it is even more difficult. The Tánaiste is turning seven year olds into latchkey kids. How are parents meant to be able to find somewhere from 1.30 p.m., when seven year olds get off school, until 6 o'clock? They would want to be earning a whopping income like the Tánaiste's to do that.

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