I thank the Social Democrat Deputies for tabling the motion this afternoon and giving us a chance to have this discussion. Similar to Deputy O'Rourke, as well as being a parliamentarian I am a parent. It is a long time since I had a child in primary school but in order for her to be able to attend an Educate Together school I had to fight very hard simply to get her a place. This is the experience of parents who want a choice outside of the Roman Catholic model. Not everybody wants their kids in such a school. Even…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Claire Kerrane, on the motion this evening and on all the work she has done inasmuch as has been outlined. We were the only party that went to the electorate with a credible, well-thought-out, well-constructed plan to deliver affordable public childcare. At the last election, both of the parties of Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael - I am not sure what the opinions of Deputy Lowry and his crew are - could not walk more than 2 m without talking about affordable childcare. However, …

My question is fairly straightforward. I am aware the Minister is doing a review. I have corresponded with him with regard to taking the profit motive out of school meal provision to the greatest extent possible. Has the Minister examined that or is he open to further discussion or consideration of it? My question cites the meals on wheels service but there are obviously others that would fulfil similar criteria.

I thank the Minister for his response. The reason I raised this issue is that I have a concern about the nutritional quality. Parents cannot control the quality of the food, although they can select from the menu of options. Concerns have been raised about the traceability of food and labelling such as "pasta sauce". At the end of the day, the companies that are involved in this have a loyalty to their profits and business. I am talking to the Minister as he is wearing both of his hats. He looks after part of the s…

On Tuesday this week, I attended a presentation on the meals on wheels network. There was a representative from the Minister's office there as well. The network is absolutely fantastic. Day in and day out, the volunteers do a really good job. It is not just a food delivery service but they are really conscious about the quality of the food. They have a more hands-on approach. They are local. They do not have a corporate office so they might struggle to put in a very swanky and slick tender into a tender process. Th…

While I am aware the Department does not use child maintenance as a criterion by which to assess, it is alone in that regard. It is incredibly hit and miss across local authorities. Some count it whereas others do not. Does the Minister agree that child maintenance is for children and should not be considered as part of means tests for essential supports for adults and families? I hope the Department takes the lead on this because there is no standardisation, not even across local authorities. Part of the reason fo…

There are 190,000 children in Ireland today classified as at risk of poverty. Child maintenance is essential. I find it incongruous that although child maintenance is absolutely essential, it is included in assessments for some necessary supports. I welcome the Minister’s words. I hope he will work with me across party lines on this matter. No one will disagree with the idea that child maintenance should not be included when calculating assessments for supports because those supports are often for families, whereas…

We will consider this as part of the work programme if I have anything to do with it. The Minister rightly highlighted that it is confusing when different methods of assessment are used. While he said there are sometimes valid reasons for this, there are actually no valid reasons for including child maintenance in assessments. The louder we say that and the more people we say that to, the more likely it is that this will be standardised across the board. The aspect that is confusing for people is they cannot unders…

On a point of order, there was a lot of consternation and an awful lot of Dáil time was given over to Deputies in the Lowry group who insisted on having recognition. They got it and now they have a question on the Order Paper but they have not turned up to take it. I want that to be recorded because there was a lot of chat and consternation in the House, as the Minister knows. At the end of it, we see that after all of their kicking up and kicking off, they have not turned up to take their slots. This is worth reco…

Certain groups of people, including seasonal workers and school caretakers, in particular, are excluded from pay-related jobseeker's benefits and allowances. Seasonal workers are every bit as unemployed when they are not working; it is just that they are unemployed for a specific period. Will the Minister give some consideration to including those people, who we rely on and lean on in the seasons when they work? It is not their fault they do not have work. The Minister knows that well. They are available for work b…

On carers.

Hear, hear.

I am a bit disappointed but not a little bit surprised that the senior Minister did not stay for the full duration of the debate. He rarely does when it has anything to do with workers' rights. I wish everyone here a very happy May Day, especially those people who work here in the Oireachtas, the people who cook and clean for us, the ones who keep this place running. On May Day we celebrate workers all over the world but it is really important that we remember those people who are working here all around us. As mos…

I would like to make a brief comment. I would like Deputy Lahart to correct the record. He stated that the minimum wage had consistently gone up. Of course, it has gone up many times, as recommended by the Low Pay Commission, but it was the Deputy's party, Fianna Fáil, that cut it. It is not true to say that the minimum wage has always gone up. It was cut by the Deputy's party in government. I do not forget that and I would hope that the Deputy does not forget that either.

I thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss the Topical Issue matter concerning the need for primary care services for my constituency of Dublin Fingal West which is, as I am sure the Minister of State is aware, one of the fastest growing constituencies in this State. We also have a very young profile; we do not necessarily fit with the profile of the rest of this State. There is no hospital in my constituency to be fighting about but equally, there is a real, serious lack of primary care services. When…

What I heard was "you must wait, you must travel, you are not getting the services." I have been at this for nine years. We have a primary care centre and it is a white elephant or whatever that expression is. It is not being utilised to its greatest extent. There are empty rooms and diagnostic suites that should and could have facilities in them to ensure people did not have to get into their cars or call an ambulance and travel outside of my area to put pressure on hospitals in other areas that are already under …

What happened to house prices?

The position will not be backfilled with someone who held a previous position then.

No backfilling.

Here we go.