Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No, it is not agreed to. I object to the rescheduling of Private Members' business which clearly is being done by the Government to facilitate the railroading through of contentious legislation before the Dáil goes into recess. The Private Members' motion is about cuts to lone parent payments, yet the Government is moving the debate to prioritise even more austerity measures for hard-pressed citizens. The punitive measures to cut allowances for lone parents will take effect tomorrow and affect 30,000 families, many of whom will be pushed further into poverty. I am sure the Taoiseach knows that the CSO's figures show that 63% of lone parent families live without basic necessities and are among the most vulnerable in society. In another broken promise, the Tánaiste said the cuts would not be implemented without affordable child care and after-school care services being available, but these services are not in place. Rather than have a proper debate on these matters, the Government jiggles and jigs the clár to allow it to bring forward other measures to facilitate the passage of legislation that will penalise people in not paying water charges they cannot afford. It is a very bad way to deal with Dáil business and shows nothing but contempt both for Government backbenchers and Opposition Deputies.

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