Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Every Deputy has received representations from many parents facing the high cost of child care or the lack of such care. Many parents face Hobson's choice — unwilling to work owing to the cost of child care, yet having to work to pay a mortgage. As this issue was debated at the recent Progressive Democrats conference, is the programme for Government to be distilled down to one aspect of child care? The programme spoke of implementing a children's strategy, a national study of children, strengthening parental leave schemes and implementing a child care strategy by the end of 2002. It now seems, however, that the big idea is the provision of out of hours child care programmes based in schools. While that is one of the many aspects in the programme for Government, does the Taoiseach regard it as proper child rearing and in the best interests of children for them to be kept at school from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.? Many school buildings are dilapidated and substandard. I visited a number of schools in Donabate, some of which are not even in receipt of basic classroom resources, never mind child care facilities.

What is the Government's view following the Progressive Democrats conference? Is it to run with the idea of permanent school detention, as some children might see it? Alternatively, will the Government first put in place the proper school structures and discuss the matter with teachers' and parents' organisations so that some agreement can be reached? Is it not the case that this idea will not run because the infrastructure is not in place in schools and has not been agreed upon?

See this speech in context