Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The fact of the matter is that we are the lead party in Opposition. If one looks at the framework document, one will see that our support for the Government will be be based on its implementation of those principles, which are designed to make a fairer and more just society in this country. This country will be a better place for the fact that we have such an input in policy because of our position of strength on the Opposition benches.

I wish to make one final point. This morning, Deputy Bríd Smith accused us of changing tack on lone parents. As somebody who carried the party policy on that issue, I refute that completely. The fact of the matter is that if anybody looks at our manifesto they will see that our proposal is to improve the lot of lone parents and to reverse the damaging changes to the lone parent allowance made by the outgoing Minister for Social Protection. Those changes were all based on the principle that it would encourage people to go out to work it it were made less attractive for them not to do so - that if we gave them less, more of them would go out to work.

See this speech in context