Averil Power (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Sometimes one has to be able to live with oneself, to sleep at night, to look people in the eye, to answer that phone call from a homeless lone parent and tell them one stood with them and that it is not just words of sympathy, but that one really stood with them and stood up for them when it counted.We have an opportunity to do that today. It is not too late to reverse these cuts. If the Government comes back to us and is able to implement proper child care, I would be the first to support that. As Senator Zappone and others said, lone parents, as well as two parent families, want us to address the outrageous cost of child care in this country.

Every parent wants to do the best for his or her family. I do not think there is any point in pushing people out into crappy jobs for two or three hours that pay very little and where people are losing money as a result of working. Work should carry a certain amount of dignity. When people get to a point where they can balance family and work, it is good for the self-esteem of parents to have a job or course that they enjoy, and it is good from the point of view of children for them to see their parents earning money. We are not in such a position and all the cuts have done is force people out of work. Lone parents who worked very hard prior to this to get themselves back into education and training and get a job now have to quit their jobs because it has been made financially less attractive for them to work. I call on Members of both sides of the House to stand up, do the right thing and support this motion. The most vulnerable families in the State are relying on them to do so and I hope they will have the courage to do so.