Donie Cassidy (Fianna Fail)

——and the extension of the fuel allowance period by an extra two weeks. The weekly rate is now €20 per week.

A total of €56 million in supports for families with children has been allocated. In particular, the qualified child payment will increase by €2 to €26 per week. Some of us remember what the children's allowance was in the bad times and how difficult it was for our parents to rear us all, but the fact is that from 1997 there has been an increase in children's allowance of 500%. It has been increased five times since 1997. I welcome that and want to introduce some balance in the House this morning in terms of what is being done for the underprivileged——