Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will be pressing my amendment. I fully accept the bona fides of the Minister in what he outlines but it is not in any way fair to suggest the child of a one-parent family will not be able to avail of the same time at home with a parent but this could be open to spouses or family members when this would not be the case. In many cases the parent in a one-parent family parents the child alone and is isolated. I cannot go back to them while saying I facilitated passage of this Bill because the Minister reassured me a spouse or other family member may emerge in future. It is not good enough.

The amendment seeks to examine ways in which this provision could be extended to one-parent families over the next six months. I understand the provisions of the directive the Minister refers to but there is clearly a lacuna in the law and we can be champions in pushing the discussion at an EU level, if necessary, or coming forward with legislation of our own that can address this question. This omission is unfair and would enshrine inequality in the legislation. We can do more to challenge or even enhance the directive at an EU level. All I am asking for is a process of examination over six months and it is not good enough to say we are simply not going to do that. I will press the amendment.

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