Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My core point, and I am sure the Minister of State will accept it, is that there will be a financial loss to lone parents as a result of this initiative. In pressing the point that it is Government policy to help lone parents to find a pathway back to full-time work, he is ignoring the question of what will happen to the seven year old child who is left sitting at home because his or her parent does not have enough money to cover the extraordinarily high cost of child care. Prior to the Minister of State's appointment, the Tánaiste indicated that the types of changes set out in this legislation would not be made until we had a child care system similar to what is found in the Scandinavian countries. That commitment is hanging over her head because, as we know only too well, there has been no improvement in child care provision that would alleviate the financial burden on parents.

There is no balance in this legislation. On the one hand we have a Government policy, as expounded by the Minister of State, of securing a pathway to work for lone parents. The reality, however, is that lone parents have children who need parental nurturing, care and affection. They will not get it if the Department insists on forcing people - I use the word "forcing" deliberately - into a situation where because there are insufficient financial supports for them, they must find work to supplement their State income. What happens to the children in those circumstances? This provision is far too premature and should be deferred until there is some type of response from the Tánaiste. I hope the Minister of State will use his influence to press home this point. He is surely pushing an open door with his boss given her stated view that changes should not be made until we have improvements in child care provision such that the associated costs are no longer the overwhelming financial burden they currently are, not just for lone parents but for the parents of middle Ireland generally. There is an urgent need to address the child care issue.