Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank the Minister of State and the officials in the Department. This is welcome legislation. It is the first budget in seven years where we have started to give back what was taken from the citizens due to the mismanagement of the previous Administration. The increase of €5 in child benefit will impact on more than 600,000 families. It is the start of what I believe will be the end of the sacrifices that families have made over the past three years. The increase of €9 in the living alone allowance, the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus and allowing families to retain the full qualified child increase of €29.80 per week per child for 12 months after parents return to work and 50% thereafter are all important measures that will help get people out of the difficulties they are experiencing, as is, in particular, the €2 million investment in the school programme. All of these measures are to be welcomed. It will be the start.

We really are on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, it is more on a macro than a micro level. This is the start of people feeling the impact of the progress that the Government has made over the past three to four years. I thank the Minister of State for his time here in the Seanad. It has been most constructive.