Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

With regard to payments ceasing when the child reaches five and a half years, when children go to school they finish at 2 p.m. and parents incur major child care costs after 2 p.m. It is a bit mean and callous to remove the payment for those six months. It is one of those little social welfare provisions that has been snuck into the budget about which people will not be aware until next year. I completely abhor it and I think it is mean.