Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

-----and a change in price levels. That is the Government's position. It is a very substantial investment in public services.

On the second tier, some of the models for the second tier would result in thousands of children losing out. What we have opted to do, in a more straightforward way, is to substantially and unprecedentedly, in terms of the scale of the increases the Minister, Deputy Calleary, put forward, increase the child support payment. It is quite substantial. We will grow that and, de facto, we essentially will have, in time, a second tier. That is the most straightforward and simple way to do it. It will be very impactful.

On education, and health and disability services, there are substantial increases way above the rate of inflation for those services.

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