Fine Gael promise pay-related parent benefits in election manifesto
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Fine Gael will pledge to link maternity and paternity benefits with earnings in its election manifesto.
A key plank of the party's children's platform to be unveiled on Wednesday is the introduction of pay-related parents benefit.
Under Fine Gael’s proposals, the rate of parents benefit will be more closely aligned to a mother or father’s income in an effort to encourage them to "spend valuable time with their newborn children".
Retiring Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys told the Dáil she would like to see maternity benefit linked to a new mother's previous rate of pay as she brought forward legislation which will see those who lose their jobs paid €450 per week in social protection.
That increase will come into effect in March. The Minister said that pay-related benefits were the norm across Europe, and this move would bring Ireland into line with that.
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Fine Gael will also commit to capping childcare costs at €200 per month per child, or €600 for a family with more than three children and there will be a commitment to expand the Hot School Meals Programme to every single school along with plans to tackle so-called "holiday hunger" with a new pilot scheme set to be launched next summer.
Fine Gael's plan also proposes the creation of 30,000 places in public early learning and school aged care services beginning with at least 100 new services in the first two years of government, as well as an extra hour of free preschool in the second year of the ECCE programme as well as rolling out a 'Baby Bundle' package of products to all new parents.
Meanwhile, the Tánaiste has said he "always respects the electorate" after Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told himself and Taoiseach Simon Harris not to treat Sinn Féin voters "like second-class citizens".
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil leaders Simon Harris and Micheál Martin have ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin following the election, but Ms McDonald said that people who do vote for her party deserve to be heard.
"Let me just make this point. A lot of people vote for Sinn Féin, rely on us to represent them. I would ask Fianna Fàil and Fine Gael to try and muster at least a little bit of respect for the communities and the voters that vote for us.
"They're not second class citizens. They are equal voters, just like everybody else. And I think that they should demonstrate at least a little bit of humility and a little bit of respect towards those citizens too."
Responding, Mr Martin said that "people are entitled to have different perspectives" but said that his difference with Sinn Féin was "always policy".