Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Keogan. We are coming to the end of the questions. I will give everybody the chance to make concluding remarks, if they wish.

I want to make some points first. They are more observations than questions. I was delighted to hear childminding being mentioned because it is true not everybody has a 9 to 5, Monday to Friday job. Many lone parents who do not have such jobs fall into that category, and trying to access childminding or childcare is a constant battle or juggling act for many people. It is frustrating we are still talking about this issue. In so many ways, indeed, it is only now coming to the table. Access to quality and affordable childcare is of course one of the key ways of getting out of poverty. It is also excellent for children on so many levels, not just from an academic point of view concerning school readiness but socially and everything in that regard. Kids tend to love going into crèche, where they are in a positive crèche environment. Childcare, therefore, is excellent for children, but it also plays a key role in respect of removing people from poverty. I feel we have been talking about this issue for a long time, but I hope there will be positive changes and that the new funding scheme will result in proper access. There is an issue with capacity in this context, and that issue was touched on as well by the representatives of Early Childhood Ireland. There are not many baby spaces. That is not the only issue, and there are problems with capacity throughout the country.

The other point I wish to make concerns housing and domestic violence. I find that at times there is such a disconnect in this area. I refer to when it is necessary for people experiencing domestic violence and who finally make that decision, which it is not easy to do, to try to leave the situation they are in and then they are met with a whole heap of forms. The questions to be faced can include being asked to provide proof that no property is owned and similar queries. It leaves me wondering how on earth that can be helpful to anybody. Surely there is a way of dealing with these situations where that aspect does not have to be resolved immediately. I say that because what I see all the time are cases where women just go back to those situations. It is happening now especially, because it is so difficult to find a rental property, harder again to find a place that will accept housing assistance payment, HAP, and harder again then to find a place within the HAP limit. A great number of barriers exist for people in those situations.

The point was made about the rent allowance payments during Covid-19 and this must be examined. We had representatives from Focus Ireland in with us two or three weeks ago speaking about this same issue of child poverty. There are situations where the perpetrators of domestic violence are staying in homes. I understand that in the short term it is necessary for women and children to leave the home, but it does seem unfair that perhaps two or three years later they are the ones getting HAP on a housing waiting list while the perpetrator is sitting in a three-bedroom property. It is not always popular when I say that, but it is an aspect I feel strongly about.

Turning to the issue of maintenance support, the other thing many people also do not realise is that maintenance payments only date from when people go into court to apply for it. There is no backdating in that regard. Again, and especially in the context of domestic violence, the last thing somebody coming out of that kind of situation needs to face, given how much they already have to deal with, is a requirement to face the perpetrator and seek child maintenance. Yet, there is no backdating in the system. That is another issue I wish to highlight.

We support many of the points made in the opening statements and in the answers given to the members of the committee. I thank the witnesses not just for coming in today but for their work. We are glad to be able to have this topic on the agenda. We realise the important work all the witnesses and their organisations are doing, constantly trying to struggle and juggle on small budgets to highlight these issues. That does not go unnoticed and certainly not by this committee.

If the witnesses would like to make any closing remarks or to add anything before we finish, I invite them to do so now. We will start with Ms Ward and then move around all the witnesses.