Further to my raising this issue in the House, supported by Senator Ivana Bacik, I was very pleased to hear the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, state in the Dáil yesterday that he would amend the section in the Finance Bill dealing with the single parent tax credit. He intends to introduce an amendment on Committee Stage to allow a transfer of the credit to the other parent where the designated principal carer has no taxable income. While this may not go far enough for some in terms of equality, it will be of significant practical benefit to many, mainly separated fathers. It will mean every family, regardless of its make-up, will be entitled to claim one benefit.

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

Not all separated fathers are ne'er-do-wells or reprobates. They play a significant role in the care of their children in general, even though they are not the principal carers most of the time. This is a good decision for the family.

We need to recalibrate the role of men in the Constitution as regards the family, in legislation and our attitudes and assumptions to support and vindicate fathers in the family. In that sense, I would welcome it if the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, came to the House to outline the position. We had a weekend at the Constitutional Convention considering the role of women in the home and public life, rightly so. As a corollary, I would like to hear the views of the Minister for Justice and Equality on the role of men and fathers in the family and the home.