Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is very helpful in putting the issue in context. My next question relates to the comments relating to labour supply. The witnesses touched on the child care subsidies and I am definitely interested in hearing more about that. Certainly, some of their research suggests that the recession hit women quite hard, with participation rates down for the first time in years. Child care is an issue for both men and women but it would be considered an obstacle more for women entering or re-entering the workplace. The point was made in the paper that it is not just about income tax acting as a disincentive, as there is also the cost of going back to work. It may not be cost-effective to have two parents working.

I would like to hear views on the gender pay gap. Sometimes women may be penalised as they are seen as the primary caregiver. Taking the burden and distributing it more evenly across both parents would probably work towards addressing the gender pay gap. I would be very interested to hear what we could do in budget 2017 and the following year in terms of a child care subsidy. Are there any other suggestions or views on how to address the issue?