Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy. The equality for women measure is designed to tackle barriers to equality for women, including attitudinal, structural and institutional barriers. A programme is under way in that regard. Tax benefits, welfare payments and employment and training initiatives aim to reduce the number of working people who are poor and eliminate inactivity, unemployment and poverty traps.

Measures that have helped encourage participation in the labour force include structural changes to the taxation and social welfare system designed to make work pay and strengthen conditionality for unemployment payments. The current programme lists the priorities to be achieved over the next five years. It is hoped to ensure that those on the national minimum wage are removed from the tax net and that 80% of all earners pay tax only at the standard rate.

The county child care strategy is implemented through a series of annual action plans which are subject to a thorough appraisal before applications are approved for funding by the Minister through the programme appraisal committee structure.

A high level group on child care and early childhood education, chaired by the National Children's Office, was established to consider co-ordination in the child care and early education areas and the national policy implications arising from the OECD's review of this area. The decision to establish the high level group arose from a paper prepared last year by the National Children's Office for the Cabinet committee on children. The terms of reference of the high level working group on child care include to recommend an integrated national policy on child care and early education which will result in improved co-ordination at national and local level and which incorporates a child-centred approach to service delivery. The group is chaired by the National Children's Office and comprises representatives of many Departments. It is intended to bring a policy paper to the Cabinet by the end of 2004.

The Government is committed to the development of pre-school education. The enhancement of early childhood services, in accordance with the White Paper on Early Childhood Education, Ready to Learn, is being undertaken on a collaborative and phased basis. It will draw together and build on the many examples of best practice in early childhood education that have emerged over recent years. Special emphasis will be placed on the provision of appropriate pre-school education in areas of social deprivation and for those with special needs to help combat disadvantage and promote education. The Department of Education and Science supports the early start scheme to this end. The scheme funds 40 centres which aim to expose children from disadvantaged areas aged between three and four to a positive pre-school environment to improve their overall development and long-term educational experience and performance.

The Department has made substantial funding available to the VECs to assist the child care expenses of participants in VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller training centres. I would like to have discussed a number of issues pertaining to the equality agenda, including adoptive leave, but my time is up. I thank Members for their attention and I commend the amendment to the House.

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