Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

We all agree that we want improved outcomes and I agree with the Minister's comments about ensuring the payments made to lone parents in the child care sector are targeted. I agree, to a large degree, that the cash payment to families does not necessarily find the way down to children and where it is supposed to be paid. We discussed this with regard to the free preschool year. When the early child care supplement was abolished by the previous Government, there was a plan in place to take over from it straight away and the free preschool year was introduced. There was a two thirds saving on the bundle, as we were able to provide those places with approximately two thirds less investment, with the funding going directly to the child care sector. This ensured all our children, regardless of background, had access to a free preschool year.

The free preschool year was implemented because we removed the child care supplement, and it happened pretty much straight away. The Minister and her Government are asking us to make changes to the lone parent allowances without any firm proposals for additional child care. The Minister will not even confirm today that there will not be any negative change to the free preschool year during the term of the Government. We are being asked to make changes to the single parent family payment and although I agree that payments should be more targeted, we would be acting in isolation of the Minister telling us the facts of the child care provisions, including places and cost. When will those additional accessible child care places be available? There are no timeframes.

We are being asked to make changes that will affect approximately 170 lone parents and although that is a small number, why are those people any different to the thousands of others? Why are they being singled out for changes? The Minister has argued it will be possible to put arrangements in place to deal with those lone parents but what arrangements are currently in place? That is the problem. The last time we made changes, the free preschool year was introduced at the same time and people knew where they were going. There was a path and although a supplement was being removed-----