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

I kind of tend to agree with the Deputy but I am not sure whether we should expand or do away with it. I am not sure it is our job in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to chase errant parents. It is definitely somebody's job but I am totally against penalising women, as they are in the main, for not chasing the errant partner to look after their children. I have several ideas as to what should happen if the world was perfect but some of them fall under my remit and some do not. That is what will be discussed at the meeting later this month. Once that meeting has been held we can maybe have a further conversation about what might be most suitable.

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