David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This has not been a good week or a good day for this chaotic Government and the Minister can add to her list the refusal of Government to support this motion. There are times when I wonder why we must be on opposite sides of issues and if the Minister was true to herself she would accept this motion should be passed. If she met the mothers, as we did, outside the gates of Leinster House holding their babies and talking about the challenges they have and the reasons these measures need to be put in place, she would support it. I am at a loss as to why the Government will not support mothers and will not support these parents.

We can throw any amount of money at banks. We will invest, and rightly so, billions of euro of taxpayers' money into the July stimulus supporting business and enterprise which in turn supports jobs, but when it comes to supporting mothers who have had difficulties and challenges with their babies being born during this emergency period we cannot put in place an emergency measure to support them. Maternity benefit and maternity leave is necessary. I find the situation appalling. What is more appalling is the Minister's amendment to the Sinn Féin motion. As an Teachta McDonald said, I welcome the fact that the Government has at least reacted to some degree to our motion by extending parental leave, but that was promised anyway. That was committed to last year.

The response from the Government in its own amendment stated that it proposes to examine in early course, as part of the budgetary process, the possible extension of paid parent's leave and parents benefit from two to five weeks and the possible extension of the period in which parents leave can be taken by the cohort of people eligible. It is more spin and more nonsense, talking about the possibility and kicking the can down the road again. I am sure many of the mothers are listening in here because they know this Private Members' business is being tabled. The Minister should explain, and it is her job to explain, to those mothers and parents why this Government cannot support what is a simple motion that does what is right for those mothers and parents. That is on the Minister.

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