Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

A day on, it is good to be back here with all the familiar faces to take on another Bill. This Bill might address some of the issues we did not achieve in yesterday's Bill.

We all are familiar with the nursery rhyme, which begins as follows:

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

She had so many children she didn't know what to do. . .

For almost 200 years the women of this country sent Ireland's children to the four corners of the world when they were very young indeed because they did not have any choice, they did not know what to do. These children, and their children, went on to shape the modern world.

This Bill is about our children. It should be looked at from the child's point of view, not so much from the point of view of time off for a parent although that is what it entails. The time off concerned is mainly to do with the child and for the child's benefit. It is important that we look at it that way because too often we forget about children in legislation and we do not give them enough of a hearing. Young people are not getting enough of a fair deal and across every Department improvements in that regard must be made. That is what Bills like this are about, the fundamental needs of our children and their growing up so that they get the best chances in life.

The future of the State depends on the health and well-being of our children. Somewhere along the line this has been forgotten. Considering the facilities for young people, crèche facilities, the state of our schools etc., often children are not getting the attention they deserve.

Adults who see things from their own perspective have run this country over generations. From the time of the Famine until recently, those with influence did not do enough for the well-being of children. Since the 1920s up to the time of the last Fine Gael led Government, not much changed for our children. School, especially second level school, was seen as a luxury, not a necessity.

Through the hard work of previous generations of children Ireland now has the opportunity to bring to bear so much influence on the future of forthcoming generations, and specifically on the children. I accept in principle the idea that it is difficult to get a perfect balance between work and family life but that balance is unfairly and wrongly tipped towards the work in our lives. Often it is put down, not to people's choice but to necessity. It is just the way life is at present. Parents are forced to maintain a certain standard of living, which 30 years ago would have been considered extremely high but which, as expectations and the world have moved on, is no longer exceptional. With this there is the potential that the child will end up suffering, and will continue to suffer.

Parents need the right to take time off from work but at the same time not fall into a trap of poverty as a result. They should not need to go without their wages or without any money for three months, six weeks etc., if they want to spend time with their child. Increasing the quality time spent by parents with their children is proven to benefit the children and will benefit the State and save us money in the long run. People should not fall into the poverty trap or miss out on spending time with their children because they cannot afford to do so.

In Ireland the days where the mother went to the parent-teacher meeting while the father went to the pub are gone. Parental responsibilities now are based on needs rather than on gender. Legislation should follow suit. I am glad this Bill, unlike the most recent Bill we discussed, does so, with increasing numbers of fathers looking to stay at home for a given period to bond with and encourage their children during their most influential and vulnerable years.

With studies pointing towards the lack of one to one contact between parent and child, mainly in conversation and in reading, and this the possible cause of learning difficulties in later stages of life, a balance not at the expense of the future good upbringing of the child needs to be struck in industry, especially small industry. I mention small industry because employers must satisfy the parental leave rights and often it is most difficult in small businesses to get this entitlement and make it easier to take time off. That is an area at which we must look. In some cases larger businesses get better grants for the likes of child care and providing facilities, whereas it is really the small businesses that feel the pressure in this regard.

The Government's record on the broad area of child care has been less than satisfactory to date. I accept that modern times are tough but it is still not good enough. Having a child today could be the greatest joy in the world but, instead, under this Government many parents feel doing so is like a financial ball and chain tied around their leg which they must drag through the next 18 years. Parents are under a great deal of financial pressure when it comes to having children and we must do all we can to help them.

There are few child care facilities and there is insufficient health care back-up for children. For example, a sign in the hospital in my town of Navan practically states that no children need apply. In a modern town, serving a county which is rapidly growing and doubling in population, there is a hospital which a number of years ago withdrew paediatric services and has no intention of reinstating them. Our record of health services for children is withdrawing services needed to look after them.

With the strain to find school places — with the idea of free education being just that, an idea — and the constant threat of college fees hanging over parents' heads, who would want to be a parent? Yet parents want to have children, and want to have more, but they just cannot afford to have them.

We are told education is free but, as I said, that is only an idea because it is not really free. In addition to school books and uniforms, there always are those extra costs which amount to at least an extra €1,000 a year. This sum is just to keep one's child doing all the school activities which every other child does.

I renew previous calls for a dedicated Department for children. This is of the utmost importance in today's world as we plan for the future. Responsibility for children is left to a Minister of State, who is quite a capable man and a fine Minister of State but who does not have a voice at the Cabinet table. Children are left out of any major decision or consideration on legislation at the Cabinet table. This means the child is being left out in the dark. I hope the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004 does not leave the child out in the dark. Parental leave for both spouses is a basic step in reflecting the needs and wants of a modern family. Members have a duty to do what is right for families. While the Bill will not cure all the ills of the past it certainly is another small step in the right direction. It is only a small stepping stone because it does not go far enough. We could have gone much further with this Bill, but instead are just doing what we must do under the European directive. The Bill updates its 1998 namesake to implement some of the recommendations of the working group and improve it.

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