Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The back-to-work family dividend is a very positive element. It will help many people who are quite distant from the workforce and who are worried about whether there will be a financial dividend in going back to work. There is a significant benefit for people in going back into the workforce and not having to worry about whether they will lose money. The back-to-work family dividend will help many people back into the workforce.

It is undoubtedly very difficult to raise a child alone. At the height of the Celtic Tiger, a huge sum of money was thrown at this issue by Fianna Fáil, which did not improve matters.It was done with the best of intentions but it did not improve the circumstances of lone parents and, in fact, they slipped further into poverty. All the research and advice indicates that the way out of poverty is through a job. That is what this Government has been about. The Senator's reference to the proposed new land of milk and honey is a little beneath him, given that I normally respect his contributions. I certainly would love to live in a land of milk and honey where there is jam for everybody. I hope we will get back to a position where we will be able to make significant investments in the social infrastructure after the country was almost bankrupt only four short years ago with only 53 or 54 days of money left. We faced the possibility in the autumn where teachers, nurses and doctors would not receive their salaries.