Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

I will raise a number of issues in support of my party's motion on the area of child care. One of the first issues that comes to mind is the withdrawal of the crèche supplement and child care support for people taking part in VTOS schemes. Last year, I dealt with a case in my constituency where a number of women were forced to give up places on schemes because their community employment supports had been withdrawn and they were unable to afford alternative child care. In effect, the cuts meant the women concerned had to reluctantly give up what was, for many, an important pathway back into the education system and the workforce.

What is more disgraceful is that these women came primarily from areas most in need. While they were from the 20% caught in the poverty trap and were determined to try to break out of this, the system prevented them from doing so. Apart from the potential improvement in their financial situation due to their participation, VTOS was an important means of facilitating people to once again become an integral part of the community in which their personal circumstances made them marginalised.

Another issue with which I and other Members who represent rural areas have to deal is a difficulty facing particular women in securing child care in more isolated areas. While many people still rely on extended families to look after their children and while this may be the best option in some circumstances, many people do not have that choice available to them. There is also the fact that this can place a burden on other family members in the absence of proper provisions.

A further issue that needs to be urgently addressed is the conditions of employment of people in the child care sector as it currently exists. I am aware of a number of cases where workers, almost exclusively young women, are employed at extremely low rates of pay. The recently formed child care professional association has taken up the cases of individual child care workers and hopes to pursue these through industrial relations channels. These workers are as entitled to proper recognition and protection as any other and I hope the issues involved are addressed.

The real way to ensure child care workers are not exploited is to make sure the sector is properly regulated. This is best achieved by increasing the State's responsibility for the sector, as proposed in this motion. If the State assumes its proper responsibilities in providing adequate child care places and ensuring that the sector is properly financially supported, this will stop being a sector in which there will be an incentive to provide cheap services at the expense of workers and children.

Much has been achieved in recent years in regulating the sector from the point of view of ensuring that only adequate, qualified and responsible people are allowed to run private services. The State should take the next logical step by assuming direct responsibility for the overall provision and administration of this vital area. We need to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to address the needs of children, as well as the mothers who are willing to contribute to our economy. These women are prepared to contribute, to pay their share and to help society but the system is preventing them from doing so. Provision for pre-school, after-school and out-of-school child care must be a right for both child and mother. Legislation must be introduced to address the need for employers to share responsibility for the provision of child care for employees. A large amount of work is needed to be done and the onus is on the House and the Government to address this matter.

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