Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. It would allow the credit to be shared. Will the Government think about this? This measure will have a massive impact, particularly on those in the average industrial wage bracket of between €30,000 and €40,000, as a €1,600 tax credit is significant. We all know that there are additional costs for parents looking after kids in different homes, where a marriage or partnership has broken up, as can happen. The Government should consider people's existing maintenance arrangements as if a person was paying €400 per month and losing a tax credit; there will be a raft of maintenance agreements and orders to be renegotiated, possibly through the courts. Even with amicable separations, there is the possibility of grave difficulties between two partners who may be doing their best to look after their kids. I do not believe this was the Government's goal and there is still time to change it to allow a credit to be shared.