It is now a year since the child maintenance review group published its report. It made a number of recommendations around child maintenance and social welfare, all of which we have called for for many years. The timelines for the legislation that is needed to remove the provision that child maintenance is counted as means for social welfare payments have come and gone. It is now said to be before the end of the year. I ask that the Taoiseach prioritise lone parent families and that this be done as quickly as possible. Child maintenance is not a source of household income. It is to help bring up a child or children. I ask that this legislation be prioritised and brought forward as quickly as possible. It has been a year at this point.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know a lot of progress has been made on it. There was a memorandum to Cabinet only in the past few weeks. I think it is on schedule to be done before the end of the year and, if not, certainly within the next few months. I will double-check with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and come back to the Deputy if I am incorrect on that but I know she is keen to get it done.