Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I will conclude. Every week I meet many women who do not want to be in a position of dependency on child benefit or the social welfare system in general.

They and others need a Government that takes care of them. Social protection is about protection. It is about looking after, minding and encouraging people to get off welfare, to get a job and to have a society where we reward employment and entrepreneurs and where we treat all our citizens equally. I do not know whether this Bill achieves that, but I would love to have a real debate on social welfare. We should have that debate collectively so that we can do what is best for our citizens.