Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. We have record levels of child poverty and child and youth homelessness. We have really worrying waiting lists for children who require life-changing and life-saving medical procedures. We now also have 40,000 children on child waiting lists for creches and early years education. Despite the Social Democrats offering constructive proposals, we are seeing an ignorance of the facts facing the Government with regard to children. There has now been a U-turn on a second tier of child benefit. Can the Taoiseach explain to us why there is a U-turn when the Government said in June that it was being considered? Why has it been ruled out when we need targeted measures in the budget to bring children out of poverty?

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