Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I am disappointed the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, is not present. I feel deceived by the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton. I voted for this cut when I was on that side of the House on the basis that she said she would not introduce this change to reduce the age for the one-parent family payment from 14 years to seven years until, to quote her famous phrase, there was a Scandinavian child care model in place. Today, we learn that the EU welcomes our efforts to reform the lone parent family payment but again it highlights the structural barrier of child care. The Minister of State is hanging himself out to dry.