Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Two important debates have been called for today and I support these requests. One concerns the property tax and the confusion surrounding it. After all, this is a tax that affects every home in the country. Aligned with it, we need more detail on water charges which will definitely affect every citizen in the country. Furthermore, the debate called for by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh on lone parent families is critical. The cut to the allowance is to take effect from tomorrow. I tabled this matter for discussion on the Adjournment last week as a serious anomaly has been missed by the relevant Minister, as a result of which if a lone parent works 20 hours a week, he or she will lose €70 of the allowance. This is a clear disincentive to work and we all said we were against such disincentives. Let us face up to this problem.

My main reason for speaking is to pay tribute to the Minister for Education and Skills. I believe he was right to make a dignified exit on his own terms after a very long and remarkable 40 year career in politics.

His role as Minister for Finance in the mid 1990s, in which he did a very fine job in a coalition Government, stands out. As Minister for Education and Skills I have both agreed and disagreed with him. I served with him on the Oireachtas committee in the previous Government and completely disagreed with him on rural schools. However, I thought his reform of the junior certificate was well intentioned and I welcomed his examination of the need for creativity and critical thinking. I decried his lack of-----