Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste has already been forced to backtrack on the cut to half-rate carer's allowance affecting the 800 lone parents who are carers because Single Parents Acting for the Rights of Kids, SPARK, exposed what was about to happen. I suggest she do the same in respect of the loss of income that lone parents who work part time will suffer as a result of the abandonment of the one-parent family payment in July.

The Tánaiste talks motherhood and apple pie about people wanting to return to work. Two years ago, 60% of lone parents were in work. That number has decreased as a result of what the Government has done. In light of what is planned for July, lone parents who work 20 hours per week will lose 25% of their incomes. How does this incentivise people to return to work? It will have the opposite effect and drive them out of work and further into poverty. Will the Tánaiste back away from her plans in this area? She has realised that she had already made one mistake. Will she acknowledge that she has made another, abandon the change planned for July and go back to the drawing board?

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