Averil Power (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Earlier this month, lone parents were subjected to the last of a series of cuts to welfare payments that were announced in 2012, with 30,000 lone parents with children over seven losing their one-parent family payment entirely, some of them losing up to €140 a week. I will start by correcting my colleague, Senator Kelly, in saying that while some parents will lose nothing as a result of the changes, nobody is gaining from them. Let us be honest about this and let us be very clear on what is happening and what we are voting on this evening.