Marie Moloney (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry. He is becoming a regular visitor and we are always glad to see him. I am disappointed the Minister for Social Protection needed to leave, but she will return for Committee Stage.

It would be great for social welfare purposes if no one ever got old or sick, was ever made redundant or was left to raise a family on his or her own. Unfortunately, real life is not like that and we continue to need social welfare. Every Senator agrees the Department of Social Protection has the greatest spend, at 40% of the overall Exchequer budget. Therefore, due to the economic climate in which we find ourselves, cutbacks need to be made and savings need to be found within the Department. It is the Minister's job to bring about these changes while imposing the least negative impact on people as possible. I do not envy her her task. Once cuts are made to social welfare, someone will always get hurt.

The Minister has made a number of changes. Some are small, but others will have a major impact on people. One of the most contentious changes she is about to make is the amendment to the one-parent family payment to provide for the phased reduction in the age limit applied in respect of the youngest child in the family. I have raised this matter with the Minister several times. I see where she is coming from and I know her intentions are honourable. I appreciate she is considering the issue of women's social progression. I say "women" because it is predominantly women who are lone parents, even though more men are becoming lone parents. Like many Senators, I have been approached by women who are finishing their terms on the one-parent family payment. They really are lost. They do not know where to turn, what income they will have or what they will do for the rest of their lives.

The Minister is introducing these changes because the best route out of poverty and reliance on social welfare is through paid employment. We need to eliminate child poverty in particular. The Minister wants to prepare single parents to return to the workforce. That time will come regardless. Currently, it comes when a parent's child is 18 or 22 years of age, whichever the case may be. It will now arrive a little earlier in the parent's life.

To date, there has been no obligation on people to engage in or seek employment or to seek education or training. Consequently, people who have been in receipt of the one-parent family payment have not had a good outcome. However, we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. While we are conscious of providing for the person who has left the payment and is returning to the work environment, we do not want to leave parents at the other end of the spectrum feeling vulnerable. By dropping the age to seven years, we are making people vulnerable. At that age, one cannot leave a child on his or her own after school or to get himself or herself off to school in the morning unless - this has been and will be stated in the Chamber time and again - the State puts in place proper, safe, affordable and accessible child care. I welcome the Minister's decision not to reduce the age limit unless such facilities are in place. I know that she is working on the issue with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, who is dedicated to providing child care services.

I come from a rural area and, as such, wish to raise the issue of child care services in these areas with the Minister. In the main, child care services are provided in urban areas. While some rural schools have fantastic preschools, play schools and so on, not many of them provide after school facilities.