Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Deputy Bertie Ahern and his Government could not wait to run out to Drumcondra to give money to people and say: "Look what I am giving you." The largesse of Fianna Fáil ended with a bang. It was all squandered. I will not go into the details. The Members on the Government side know what they did.

Will the Minister tell the House who made the decision at Cabinet to single out the mother and the child? Who singled them out? Who made the decision? I am familiar with the concept of collective Cabinet responsibility. I sincerely hope the Minister with responsibility for family affairs did not acquiesce in this decision. I hope she did not lie down like Shep and agree to the plans of her Cabinet colleagues. That is what happened in the case of social partnership and we have it now again. I would like to refer to four e-mails I have received on this issue.