Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, went out to battle on RTÉ's nine o'clock news programme in the run-up to the budget for additional resources and she did not really deliver so I am also a bit suspicious. I do not have the honour of being on the social protection committee but I used to ask the current Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, about this issue a lot when he was the relevant Minister and he understands the injustice that is being done. The current Minister, Deputy Doherty, answered a parliamentary question recently to the effect that restoration would cost €70 million and it would be a further cost of between €10 million and €12 million annually. She told me what she told the committee but it does not seem to be leading to a resolution. I asked Deputy Varadkar, as Minister, if he could make changes to the homemakers' scheme so as to give the same resources to the women who were most affected.

The Minister, Deputy Doherty, mentioned this in her recent reply to me but she did not give any indication of the way in which she is going to address it. She went on to speak at length about the total contributions approach. My gut feeling is to support all the amendments and to move my own amendment. Will the Minister of State give us any encouragement tonight with regard to the thinking of the Minister as to how this matter could be resolved to bring about a fair restoration and remove this injustice which we all see every week?

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