Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

In passing, I might mention that I will also be examining issues relating to certain limited circumstances where adult individuals may require to be cared for outside their own homes because of particular care needs.

A new five-year child care strategy

The Government is very conscious of the difficulties faced by many parents and families in securing affordable child care. Our task is to assist all parents in the early years of child rearing by widening the options they have. Some parents like to use family care or informal arrangements while others prefer the formal child care setting. In addressing this issue, I have tried to take account of the following considerations. Where are the greatest pressure points for parents? How can I be fair to everyone, to both lower and middle income groups and to working parents, to those who are in the tax net and those who are not, to working parents as well as those who make their contribution to society through their work in the home? What is the administratively simplest and most user-friendly system? What is sustainable for the Exchequer?

Having carefully considered all the complex issues involved, the Government has developed a five-year strategy to tackle the problem.

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