Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I will be as brief as possible but, to be fair, this is an opportunity for the committee to ask questions and to make valuable use of the experts who are with us this morning to discuss an important issue that faces so many families around the country. I compliment the Donegal County Childcare Committee on the work it has done in producing the report which helps feed into this important debate. No one in this room is not supportive of high-quality early childhood care and education. We are all united in that regard. We will talk about the RTE "Prime Time" programme later. Early childhood care and education is a fundamental component of our education system. High-quality child care and education should not be incompatible with affordability. Parents must be able to make the choice based on what they feel is best for their children and circumstances rather than on affordability. We should support people who want a family and a career. We should recognise that in some cases parents want to stay at home with their children. Affordability and quality are not incompatible.

Ms de Buis highlighted quality in particular. If she were designing a scheme, what mechanisms would she build in to ensure a high-quality service? We all support the concept of free early childhood care and education for everyone. That would be utopia. As an Opposition party it would be easy for us to call on the Government to do that, but we must be realistic about the country's financial constraints. With that in mind, we must consider a targeted approach. Mr. Gray and Ms McMonagle could confirm whether that is the rationale behind their position.

Will Mr. Gray outline for us at what level the tax break would come into play and the ceiling at which people would benefit from it? Will he quantify the number of people who will qualify for the tax break? What additional quality control and inspection measures will need to be introduced to ensure we have the quality child care we require?

The current funding schemes are segregational and it depends on where one is in the country whether one can avail of them. What would the overall cost be to the State of implementing the proposals recommended here today? How many people would benefit from these recommendations?