Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

However, on considering any of our public services one would be hard pressed to convince anyone of that fact. There are overcrowded classrooms, schools in which the roofs are falling in, schools with temporary accommodation for the past 21 years and accident and emergency units bursting at the seams. We do not have enough general practitioners, nor do we have a proper primary care system in place, yet we are introducing a parental leave Bill that is so restrictive that it represents the very minimum in terms of what we are allowed to do under the EU directive. We could not have done less. The EU directive gives us considerable scope in that it allows national governments to make decisions on who can avail of parental leave and for how long, time limits on children and the types of families that can benefit. However, this Government chose to do the least possible to ensure it complied with the directive.

I know the opposing arguments because I have heard them so often. IBEC will say this legislation will ruin employers and that it uncompetitive — it is all about being competitive. The debate on the price of housing, immigration and the protection of workers is all about being competitive. It is argued that we cannot adopt certain measures because they will make us uncompetitive but, in this regard, one should consider the case of our nearest neighbour and greatest competitor, the United Kingdom. I discovered a Bill, to be enforced in the United Kingdom, to allow for 39 paid weeks' parental leave from 1 April 2007. Either parent can take it but it is very much directed at fathers or, as is stated in the explanatory notes, the father or person the mother wishes to be the carer of the child. It could be the spouse, partner or otherwise, and does not necessarily have to be the natural father. This form of legislation presents no great burden on employers as the employer pays the paternity leave and is allowed to recoup the cost through the tax system from the Exchequer. Eventually, three years after the introduction of the 39 weeks' paid leave, the United Kingdom will allow for 52 weeks' leave.

In France and Germany, one can avail of three years' leave, while one can avail of 52 weeks in Denmark. These countries are our competitors. As the Taoiseach tells us regularly, they are our neighbours and partners in a community and single market, yet we are offering the women of Ireland far more limited leave. If one examines the statistics and research carried out on behalf of the Minister's Department, one will note that 84% of the leave taken to care for children is taken by women, irrespective of its being force majeure leave or maternity leave.

This is a restricted Bill that ensures women will spend the next eight years of their children's lives juggling as I have outlined. According to research undertaken by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, employers said that giving people extra time to care for their children created a happier, more satisfied workforce. That is very important when it comes to employing someone.

I hope employers will be flexible on this issue because the Bill is not. It states that one must take the leave in six-week lots. One must be very careful and people will probably wait until children start school and take the leave over two summer periods. That is not the aim of parental leave. It is intended to ensure that one has rounded, well developed children who can find their way in the world and be an asset to the country as adults.

I do not know when becoming a mother became the most stressful time in a woman's life. There are cross children and mothers who are alone, do not have help but do have all sorts of stresses. Normally it should be the happiest time in a woman's life and one of great celebration. Instead, from the time the child is born the mother worries about who will mind the child and how she will manage because she cannot give up work because the mortgage must be paid. It is an extremely stressful time in a woman's life. I am sure it is for men too although I cannot imagine what goes on in the workings of any man's head. Men claim not to understand women. To me, men are a far greater mystery, or maybe they are not. Perhaps nothing at all goes on in their heads.

This is a stressful time for families. In his speech in the Seanad the Minister of State referred to work-life balance. The buzz words and sentiment exist but the action is missing. He spoke about an increased number of child care places and ensuring that people have choices. This is the most restrictive and limited choice I have ever seen for women and the care of children. If the Minister of State is serious about ensuring that children are well cared for, he should not start from here. The Bill is restricted and worryingly minimalist.

We will have to come back and sort out the legislation, as happened in the case of the Adoptive Leave Bill, because parents will demand it. Society will demand it when we discover the effect of this on our children. We must examine the Bill seriously on Committee Stage. Having seen this Minister of State pilot two previous Bills through the House, I am under no illusion that any of our amendments, except the technical ones, will be considered.

It concerns me that because the review group did not reach consensus on certain issues, those issues were not taken on board. Only those issues on which consensus was reached were included in the Bill. The legislation is welcome in many ways, for example, accepting that a parent can fall ill before, during or almost at the end of parental leave and can take that sick leave separately. That provision is not included in the Adoptive Leave Bill. Under that Bill, if one becomes sick, one cannot return to the adoptive leave but must forgo the balance of that leave.

The Bill is interesting, if restricted, but many await it, such as the woman whom I described who heard the clock ticking and knew that if we did not pass this Bill, her child would be eight and she would not be entitled to avail of the leave. There will be much work to do on Committee Stage which will provide interesting debate.

Once this Bill moves into the public domain various groups will lobby us, such as the National Women's Council which has produced an excellent document on it. Childminders of Ireland met Members. All this legislation is societal. It is not confined to children, mothers or fathers but deals with the society in which the Minister of State and I must live in our old age. When we reach that point, the children of whom we speak will be adults. I wonder how they will reflect on what we have done.

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