The cuts to child benefit and the back to school clothing allowance amounted to savings of €153 million, yet only €18.5 million of that was redirected into services and programmes for children. For what it is worth, will the Taoiseach commit to increasing this paltry amount in order that the alarmingly high levels of child poverty in this country will be tackled once more?

Hear, hear.

Will the Taoiseach at least try to keep this promise in order that our children will not continue to number among the worst in Europe in terms of high rates of consistent poverty? This is from a child poverty group. These are not my words. They were not written by any of the scriptwriters or spin doctors the Taoiseach has. He has many of them.

Some €50,000 per year in a leader's allowance for it.

Copious notes.

I am not sure what the Deputy does with his Independent allowance unless he has someone writing for him. He should be able to go back to that person and say he read it out anyway.

The Taoiseach gets plenty of ranting letters. His spin doctors have things written out for him before he even enters the Chamber.

In fact, the big news from Tipperary, particularly in Newcastle and the surrounding region, was why Deputy Mattie McGrath made representations to the Taoiseach to appoint a Minister of State in south Tipperary. He got his answer. He delivered the Minister of State.

We are all delighted. I will tell the Taoiseach one thing-----

I did not think I had that much influence over the Taoiseach.