Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I am disappointed with the attitude taken by the Minister and surprised he is not more familiar with the burden parents carry in terms of child care costs. It is increasingly the reality for young couples that both parents have to work in order to pay their mortgage. The cost of child care is prohibitive and the availability of places is limited, particular for people at the low wage end of the economy.

To qualify for an affordable house purchase in Dublin, it is necessary to earn €46,000 per year. The Minister boasted about low wages but that figure is equivalent to the combined annual income of a couple earning the minimum wage. Child care can represent an additional burden of as much as the cost of the mortgage. The Minister was able to rehearse a variety of statistics but parents on the ground perceive child care as a nightmarish issue. While an absolute consensus does not exist, many parents would like to be able to avail of one year's leave during the first year of a baby's life. I assume such leave would normally be taken by the mother so that she can be with her baby. If a national system of pre-school education was in place for children aged between three and a half and four and a half years, the gap would be two years.

I do not think employers are playing their full part on this matter. We may have been blinded by the partnership structure, which largely represents trade union members in the public sector and large private firms. While I am delighted that progress has been made in these areas, significant numbers of families are left without realistic access to child care at a reasonable price. If these families want to keep a roof over their heads or buy a house, both parents have to join the workforce. It is a complex social tapestry involving a market-led economy which does not make allowance for families on issues such as child care.

I am disappointed that the bulk of the equal opportunities programme is oriented towards offering tax breaks to those who invest in child care. As is the case in respect of nursing homes, we offer tax relief on the bricks and mortar of child care facilities but have not gotten around to the caring side. We are great at offering tax breaks for constructing hotels, child care facilities, private nursing homes and sheltered housing. This modest amendment proposes that we help a particular group of people who are affected by the lack of access to good quality and reasonably priced child care. I find the Minister's lack of response very disappointing.

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