Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

Infants and young children are very complex human beings going through major changes in their lives. People are hauling themselves out of their homes every morning and back every evening, making themselves collapse with tiredness, running out to get a Chinese ready-to-eat dinner or take-away, drinking a large glass of red wine, going to bed and starting the whole rigmarole the next morning. Something must happen or the situation will give in. I am well aware that the economic well-being of the country depends on women and men being encouraged to work but all Governments to date have failed in this area. No one should bring out a half-baked proposal on child care as great danger lies in that approach.

There are many caveats due to the complexity of the issue. Tax breaks were the means at one time. When I was a member of the Government, we deliberately decided on a policy of large increases in the then children's allowance, now known as child benefit. There was an enormous increase in that which was supposed to keep everyone quiescent but of course it did not because the economy outstripped it very quickly. The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, now has some notions that effectively amount to means testing child benefit, which will not work. I could be mistaken and perhaps what he said did not amount to this. I do not think this is a good idea because the mother receives child benefit, which is intended for the child and helps a household a great deal. Means testing child benefit is certainly not the way forward. Giving more money to children under five may be the social and humane way forward. I can see the correctness of this approach. Who would begin means testing if more money was to be given to people who are in need rather than the well off?

It was proposed to means test children's allowance on one occasion. Former Taoiseach and Minister for Finance, Albert Reynolds, introduced the proposal which was stamped down within approximately a day. It disappeared as an issue because all the women of Ireland opposed the proposal. Nuala Fennell, a former Fine Gael Deputy — I think she was a former Senator — said "hands off children's allowance". We could all repeat this call.