Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have listened very carefully to the debate. Senators across the House are either calling for us to reverse or, at the very least, pause this cut. That is what I am hearing and I hope the Minister of State is hearing similar. When the Government came in, I supported a number of cuts that had to be made because we had to cut our cloth to our measure, but this is one cut that was flawed from the very start. Along with colleagues like Senator Zappone, I opposed it. This was one that went too far and which did not have a clear policy basis. We have had time to review and fix it, but that has not happened. Senator Zappone and I have organised several debates in the House on the issue but we have not sorted it out. Many of the issues people have raised in the House yet again today have been raised before. I commend and support my colleagues Senator Zappone and Power in everything they said. I totally agree.

The difficulty I have is as follows. The Government has established an interdepartmental group on child care and everyone agrees that there is a need to invest in child care. We have to remember the context. When we were making these cuts, we were lectured that to improve outcomes for children, we had to invest in services. Last year's budget was our first opportunity to begin, but we increased child benefit by €5 without actually investing in child care and the services everyone says we need. Nevertheless, another increase of €5 in child benefit has been mooted again. I really do not see it. We were lectured about the importance of investment in child care, but the Government, which holds the cards, and the Tánaiste, in particular, took the decision to say "No, let us increase child benefit by €5". The reality is that those who have the wealth will not necessarily notice the €5 increase while that sum will not stretch very far for those who do not. We really need to invest the money where it will make a difference.

My vote this evening will be in solidarity with lone parents and their children. I have issues with both the motion and the amendment and I could debate that, but it is the clear principle on which we are voting here this evening that my vote will be for.