Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. These changes have been well flagged since 2012 when the Minister introduced them in the first place. We have all known the impact they will have and, despite the fact it has been mentioned and brought to the fore many times in this House in the intervening years, the Minister has no intention of changing. There is no question of the Government changing or reviewing it at this stage and that is an absolute disgrace.

We are in a bizarre situation. The Minister dresses this up as a labour activation measure designed to prevent people spending their whole lives on welfare. The only people that this will not hurt or affect are lone parents who are not at work. We are in the bizarre situation whereby the 42% of lone parents who are actually working are the people being targeted by this change and on whom this change will have a significant impact. Then we are treated to the constant mantra of the Minister, and the Taoiseach said it last week during Leaders Questions as well, that they can get extra hours, as if by magic people will be able to go out and say to their employers that they want extra hours because their lone parents payment is being cut and their employers will say there are loads of hours waiting for them, they will give them to them and that they can avail of their family income supplement and everything else as well.

At least the Minister admitted that 10,000 lone parents will suffer a loss as a result of this change. That is a huge number of affected people. She goes on to say that 6,000 of those people will have the incentive to increase their hours. It is bizarre that it would be presented in such a way. Even if those lone parents can increase their hours and may qualify for family income supplement, they will then need help with child care. Financially they may be better off with family income supplement but the money will be completely wiped out with the cost of child care. The lack of availability of child care will mean those lone parents will be worse off. This is being presented as a labour activation measure but it is actually a measure which will drive people out of work and back into dependency on the social welfare system. The Government has no qualms about that and there is no way it will change the measure or anything else. It reminds me of Margaret Thatcher. The Minister is saying, "The lady is not for turning".

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