Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, which I hope will get the support of Members, particularly of Labour Party and Fine Gael Deputies.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection stated that she would not proceed with any reduction in lone parent's allowance or would not alter the payments unless, as she stated, "I get a credible and bankable commitment on the delivery of such a system of child care by the time of this year's budget. If this was not forthcoming, the measure will not proceed". She was referring there to a Scandinavian style system of affordable child care. However, nothing has been done to bring that about. Instead, the Tánaiste is going ahead with the cut being introduced this week. This is a huge issue and it is clear that the Tánaiste's promises do not mean much. I am very disappointed with her in this regard.

The Tánaiste claims the cut will encourage lone parents to take up employment or to increase the hours they work. I am certain lone parents want to work but the lone parents who have complained to me about this cut and those who will suffer its impact are lone parents who are already working. They are the ones affected by this. Did the Tánaiste not realise when she was introducing this cut that these are the people who are affected? Therefore, this is not an employment incentive as is claimed, but another cut that is being made in order to save a small amount of money. However, the Department will wind up losing money because this measure will push some of these vulnerable lone parents out of work. This is the opposite of what Sinn Féin wants. Sinn Féin wants these people in the workforce and wants to support them to get into it.

I remind the Tánaiste that this cut is the latest in a long list of cuts by the Labour Party and Fine Gael. They have carried on from what Fianna Fáil did. Today I counted the cuts made and found that the Government has implemented eight cuts that affect lone parents directly. Two cuts were made in January 2012, one in May 2012, one in January 2013, one in July 2013, one in January 2014, one in July 2014 and now we have this one for July 2015. This contrasts strongly with the overall up-beat message being broadcast by the Government regarding the economy. If things are improving, that is good, but where is the improvement for lone parents who are trying to hold down jobs or what pressure is being lifted from them? If the State's finances are improving and there is a welcome increase in revenue for the State, surely lone parents deserve as much as anybody else to get some relief from the relentless austerity they have faced. Where is the fair recovery for them? Sinn Féin has made calculations that show that the impact of the changes on some families will amount to €86 per week. This is a huge amount of money for people on low incomes who are struggling to pay child care costs. No higher income group of earners has been asked to take such a proportionate hit.

On top of this, what did the Tánaiste do the weekend before this cut is due to be implemented? If the newspapers are telling the truth, she put the spin to or briefed them saying she was demanding - "demanding" how are you - a €5 increase in child benefit per month. That amounts to €60 per year, about €1.10 per week. That is an insult to lone parents and people who are struggling. Few higher earners have had to endure anything like the eight cuts imposed. The Tánaiste should not call them anything else. She can dance around the issue whatever way she likes, but all of those cuts have increase the austerity.

I heard the Tánaiste ask what was in Sinn Féin's budget. Sinn Féin's budget proposed increasing the income disregard for lone parents, in order to help them stay in employment. What the Tánaiste is doing is not fair. Our party would like to see more people at work. In particular, we want to help lone parents get into the workforce and support them with education, training and child care in order to do that. Child care does not exist for them now. It is worse now than ever.

The main factor keeping single parents out of the workforce is low wages. I recognise that the Government undid the cut imposed by the previous Fianna Fáil Government, the scandalous cut in the minimum wage. However this Government needs to go a step further with the minimum wage. It is still too low. The second major factor in keeping single parents out of work is child care. Unless child care costs are lowered, which will require State intervention, it will remain impossible for many people to take up employment and to earn enough money to sustain themselves and support their families. I call on all sides of the House to support our motion and the call for this cut to be set aside. I call for other measures to be put in place, such as measures to improve the minimum wage and child care.

What the Tánaiste has done with this cut is she has hurt those lone parents who are work. She has hit working lone parents. This has boomeranged back on her. She needs to stop and undo this measure and not go ahead with it.

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