Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What is interesting is that both Deputies would criticise me for not highlighting a particular negative result in the report and just focusing on the positives of it yet neither of them are willing to acknowledge the very positive contributions of Budget 2018 for lone parents. I think that is a pity and says a lot about the Deputies.

In response to Deputy O'Dea, we are not willing to reverse the changes that were made because they are working. Two separate things were done around 2012. In respect of changes made through us intensifying our activities with lone parents in order to move from them being entirely dependent on a social welfare system to getting a job, and I am moving that policy from just getting a job to getting a better job to getting a career; through the introduction by the Minister of Education and Skills of the bursaries to provide full-time educational supports for lone parents; and through my intensifying the interactions with lone parents to make sure we do not just tick a box because they happen to be working in a local supermarket, coffee shop or school, I want to make sure that when we move these people from social welfare dependency to employment, it is good, sustainable, long-term and well-paid employment. The only way we will do that is to continue our interactions with people to make sure that when they get a job, they get a better job and then get a career. That is the commitment I am giving to lone parents. We will not be reversing any of the changes that were made in 2012. What we will be doing is drawing back on the cuts that were made that affected those people and intensifying our interactions with people who face barriers to getting full-time employment to make sure we break those barriers, be they child care or lack of training.

12 o’clock

If we need to take other facilitative measures, we will do so. The job of the Department and its Intreo offices is to make sure that we provide those services to people who need them.

See this speech in context