Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the members of the committee and the witnesses, in particular, for taking the time to speak. As one of only two women in the Dáil under the age of 35, I believe it is worth noting that there is no maternity leave at all for national politicians or those at local level. While there has been progressive legislation on gender quotas for the forthcoming general election, there is still a distance to go. If those who are making policy do not have the luxury of benefitting from that policy, it speaks volumes. As the parent of a teenager, I believe that although early care and education are the focus of today, we also need to have a conversation on the long-term needs of children in families with women who work outside the home.

This has been a really interesting and stimulating debate. I thank the witnesses sincerely for their really well researched, thoughtful and thought-provoking presentations. I thank all the members for their contributions. We have heard a very strong overview of the key issues, particularly regarding early care and education. We need to start using language such as "early care and education" rather than "child care". Language is critical in this debate and we all need to be mindful of that.