Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

The one lesson that can be learned from Mr. McLoone's listing of the reforms that were on the table last week, is that we did not successfully negotiate the benchmarking process a few years ago. It is clear from the list of reforms that Mr. McLoone set out last week that the Government flunked benchmarking. It is also very clear that on successive occasions since the benchmarking process, the opportunity to achieve public sector reform was missed. This now needs to be addressed. For that reason I support the calls for an immediate debate in this House on the whole subject of public service reform.

Similarly there is need for a real debate on the issues raised in last night's "Prime Time Investigates" programme, on social welfare fraud, because there are significant media leaks today and yesterday that suggest we may have a lowering of children's allowance. Children's allowance was the one direct payment to children. In many problematic homes it ensured that children at least got fed and clothed. It should be sacrosanct and preserved. The way to preserve it is to address social welfare fraud. My colleague, Senator McFadden, has brought this issue succinctly and clearly before the House today and it is an extraordinarily serious matter. If, on the one hand, we ignore fraud and fail to competently address it while on the other hand proceeding to take from children a direct payment that provides food and clothes for them, along with their basic needs, that is a travesty of justice. It does not follow that because a home is middle class or a family appears to be well off, on the surface, that the children are getting their rights. Children are often abused in what might appear to be a "well off" home.

It is wrong to attack children. It is certainly wrong, when a bit of administrative competence could otherwise resolve the problem.