Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For the record of the Dáil, I am actually raising two young children. While I regard that as something of a personal endeavour, it also puts me, like so many others, in a position to understand that all of the cant and empty rhetoric about balancing the books is not worth a fig to struggling families. To couples at work or individuals on their own who have to provide care for their children, lofty words about balancing the books from An Taoiseach in that dismissive way are of no use. Children are all too familiar with the hardship of the messed up economic policies that the Taoiseach and his friends have pursued. Hundreds of them are now in emergency accommodation courtesy of those economic endeavours.

I asked the Taoiseach a question and expect a response to it. I have said that we need to increase funding and that we need to do so in such a way as to put an additional €420 a month into the pockets of struggling families. It should be done through the universal child care subsidy. The resources are there. We have the fiscal space. In a full year, our proposal would cost the Exchequer €116 million. I cannot imagine a better spend of that sum.

With all due respect to the Taoiseach, he should answer the questions. He should not dream of attacking us on the basis of our care or otherwise for children. Given the record of his Government and successive Governments, he has considerable neck to advance that position.

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