Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

——ensure there is fairness and that people who cannot afford child care are given priority as regards this programme.

The programme will be of support to people in disadvantage and I am keen that should be the case. In some cases it has been suggested that people on low incomes will not be in a position to avail of this programme. I disagree with that wholeheartedly. This issue is a very different one. What has happened in some cases is that well-salaried people are using community child care facilities. They are availing of the same services at the same cost as those who are disadvantaged. That is not appropriate in terms of fairness or an equal playing field.

Child care facilities are now set up throughout the country. In my constituency we are very proud of an investment of more than €10 million in the child care programme in recent years, with wonderful facilities and more than 900 places in the county. We are proud of the community services and the private providers.

The one concern people have is the Civil Service getting involved in this programme to such an extent that a bureaucracy will be created. That is something we do not want and the Minister must ensure that does not happen. He should keep the support system for community child care simple to ensure those people are in a position to avail of the grants in the best interests of the people involved.

The ordinary taxpayer is conscious of the enormous amount of money that will be invested in the coming years up to 2010. They want to see that this money will go to the people who need it. The debate has focused somewhat on people who are on social welfare. That is unfortunate and it is a turnaround from what we had previously because the original programme, the equal opportunities child care programme, was aimed at getting people back to work. The new programme should not be aimed at people on social welfare. It must ensure those people who returned to work are in a position to stay there because they got the opportunity of having their children cared for. It is important we identify with low income families and ensure they are part of the new regime of supports in the child care programme.

I am very pleased the Minister showed common sense by allowing the 12-month period when this programme was announced. I have met and consulted many groups in my constituency and asked them to forward documentation to me — I will forward it to the Minister — outlining any difficulties they see in the operation of the programme. Any pitfalls or difficulties that may arise will be identified between now and next May or June. It is important that child care providers co-operate with the Department to tease out difficulties in the interest of child care provision until 2010.

Statements concerning cutbacks in child care are inaccurate and should not have been made.

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