Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

From experience in dealing with parents in my constituency, I can see that it is mostly mothers who are put at risk of not being able to take advantage of parental leave. As studies carried out in other countries have shown, the availability of parental leave for the first year of a child's life makes economic sense. For example, it has been clearly shown that women who are allowed to spend the first year of a child's life at home are more likely to return full time to the workforce, whereas when women are forced to leave the workforce it results in a major loss to the economy. This is why I look forward to the enlightened measures I have no doubt the Government will introduce in the area of child care, which will make provision for people to stay at home with their children and not be financially disadvantaged.

Furthermore, people on low incomes will not be able to take unpaid leave. Who can afford to take time off without pay when they are on a low income? How could a single parent avail of parental leave without pay? We are serious about giving leave, but taking leave at one's own expense may be prohibitive in many instances. There is maternity leave and maternity payment. We introduced carer's benefit to go with carer's leave and it has been successful. On this issue, we have to start somewhere. As a Government, it is time to look at other measures and treat further development seriously.

Paternity leave is very much hit or miss. It is widely available within the public service but limited in terms of the number of days for which it can be taken, usually three days. It is good that it exists but we should consider some form of paid paternity leave for all workers. We need to recognise the role played by fathers in parenting. Paternity leave offers crucial recognition of the caring role of fathers. It facilitates the possibility of bonding between fathers and their children, and provides the opportunity for fathers to offer essential support to mothers at a time when they and their babies are at their greatest need. Fathers should be paid to give that type of support. I ask for consideration to be given to five days paid paternity leave. It would be welcomed by all fathers, by all families and by all political parties.

Today, one of the most important issues of concern to parents relates to the management of their child care and the working day. The attempt to combine these two responsibilities creates great difficulties for parents. It would therefore be a mistake to consider any work-life balance initiatives without addressing the availability and cost of child care. The difficulties associated with the cost of child care have been pointed out many times in this House. To many families, the cost is like another mortgage. People find themselves going into debt even though it might be a short time before their children start school. It is a significant burden that is making life particularly difficult for many young couples.

The Government's policy to increase the supply of quality child care is the way that offers parents the greatest choice. In 1997, there was a serious shortage of such places and shortages still remain. However, the Government has set itself the task of addressing this through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 — 2006. This is a substantial programme and its scale demonstrates that it is the first Government to recognise the need for the State to act in this area in a meaningful way. It is time for this discussion to move beyond the narrow concept of child care as a means of facilitating labour force participation by women, to a more inclusive understanding where the central focus is on child development and where care and education are inextricably linked.

We must realise that while we have raced ahead and created a working economy, we have failed to ensure that a fundamental part of infrastructure, namely, the care and education of young children, matches our economic progress. This is particularly the case in terms of the infrastructure required to support the many working parents who form a necessary part of the workforce.

A few suggestions for improvements in this area would be to better co-ordinate policy for early childhood care, where services are patchy and often delivered in an unco-ordinated fashion. For example, as we point out in our document, seven Ministers or Ministers of State currently share responsibility for child care. It is time to consider appointing a single authority to assume responsibility for this area. There is a need for a wider involvement of parents, families and communities in this area and to acknowledge formally the role of parents in the child care sector. The possibility of establishing partnerships with the business sector needs to be considered. The business sector is aware of the value early childhood education plays in the longer term.

Some people find themselves out of the house from early morning to late evening with no time spent with the children. Therefore, anything that can be done through primary or secondary legislation to make it easier for parents to be involved in the upbringing of children must be welcomed, particularly ensuring that children are given the basic skills to go on to live a successful life.

Progressing the work-life balance agenda presents a complex set of challenges for policymakers, employers, employees and families alike. These challenges, both social and economic, do not necessarily merge into situations acceptable to all stakeholders, and in this regard I am thinking specifically of paid parental leave. However, it is important that we do everything we can to ensure that working families and children benefit from the great contribution they are making to our economy today and that people will continue to stay in the workplace. For these reasons I commend this Bill to the House.

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