Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

When parents are dependent on two incomes to pay rent, a mortgage, soaring energy bills and all the costs associated with having a new baby, they decide that one parent must remain at work. This does not mean that fathers do not want to spend this important time with their newborns, they just cannot afford to.

The Government could do something about that. It could commit and do bigger and better for new parents. Will the Tánaiste honour the commitment to cut childcare fees by a further 25% next week? Will the Government adopt the Social Democrats' proposal to increase paid parental leave to 12 months and increase the benefit to €350 per week?

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