Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

The Minister's comments in respect of protecting universality are crucially important. She will have a battle in doing so during the next few years. The Minister's constituency in Dublin West is similar to mine in north Dublin. A family who may appear to be financially comfortable are not in many cases. Senator van Turnhout referred to the increasing birth rate. Many of those fall within the demographic of families who purchased houses between 2004 and 2008, have large mortgages and have not had rate decreases passed on to them as promised. The child benefit payments are crucially important. That is why we oppose the cuts being proposed. This is one of a series of budgets. Given the economic situation and what is happening in Europe and Ireland I believe we will have a budget earlier than this time next year because the tax element of the budget has been far too light. The measure introduced in the other House by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, was, in the main, a VAT increase. He will not get €679 million from the additional 2% on VAT. Day-to-day spending will come under increasing pressure, in particular the Minister's Department. These are easy hits for families who believe they cannot do anything other than accept them. Once they are passed they become law.

The Minister and I know families in middle Ireland who depend on child benefit to put food on the table for their children. They receive no other State support, pay their taxes and have done so consistently and will be affected by the reduction.

The free pre-school year introduced by Mr. Barry Andrews was an inventive way of——