Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That is the right direction to take. I agree that refundable tax credits are one of the steps we must take towards a basic income type of social welfare system in which people will be free to be enterprising and do caring work, thus valuing a range of work options. I would support a move towards a system of refundable tax credits and pressure being put on the Department of Finance in that regard. I have been in that position previously and it was not easy to get it over the line. We should consider it. There are other measures the Minister might also include in the mix for inclusion in the budget. Many parents were caught out by the reductions that were applied to the one-parent family payment and the restriction to children aged seven years. If one's child was over seven years of age, one did not apply for any of the credit. Many single parents who were not able to gain any income, let alone dual income, were particularly disadvantaged. It is a target group. When considering addressing acute poverty, that is another measure we should examine.

Last but not least, I heard the Minister mention recently that he was considering increases in parental leave, maternity leave and other leave arrangements. Ireland is often mentioned with other Scandinavian countries such as Finland, Denmark and Norway which have a much better system of such leave arrangements. These arrangements must also be in the mix in order that people who wish to work would be given the capability to take longer breaks. That is another measure which would allow people at a particular time to care in the way they wished to do.

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