Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I rise as someone who does not need to depend on empirical or anecdotal evidence because I am the only Deputy present who is a director of a not-for-profit child care body. I am also a member of the Westmeath County Childcare Committee.

I am flabbergasted to hear the likes of Deputy Finian McGrath speaking in riddles and rhymes. Are they behaving like ostriches and are their heads buried in the sand? Why would Sr. Finbarr in Mullingar, who has worked with the disadvantaged and marginalised for many years and who is involved in child care, attend a public meeting and state that the scheme proposed by the Minister will be a disaster? The Deputy spoke about someone who is at the coalface of child care provision to ensure lone parents get opportunities to return to the workforce. The best route out of poverty is through a job. Many lone parents, low income parents and parents on social welfare payments have found this to be the case. It is a truism.

The way the scheme is structured will create a poverty trap. The minute one tries to improve oneself, everything is lost. No one should tell me about it because I work in this area. I will give the House our scheme's evidence. Our child care facility has ten workers and 50 children or so, many of whom have moved on over the years and are now putting their own children into the facility. It is a high quality, accessible and affordable system. It is not-for-profit and complies with the regulations and stipulations. It has been visited by environmental health officers and public health nurses. It must meet all the conditions and eligibility criteria. The scheme under which we received the money under the equal opportunities child care programme will be €70,000 short after the changes proposed by the Minister. As a director of a not-for-profit child care facility, a limited company, I will have an obligation to double the prices to ensure it is properly run and no reckless trading is involved. That will be all right for a few people who are well off but what about those who are on social welfare? Subvention will be fixed and they will have to find more money to pay for child care. That is nonsense.

I cannot believe this scheme was approved. The only reason it is being reviewed is because its financing has moved from the European to the national Exchequer. This scheme was overseen by the Department of Finance. There was token consultation. We were not consulted. Many who use these crèches are the working poor who work hard from morning to night, leave their children in, pay substantial mortgages, pay for child care and transport to get to their jobs and are left with little on which to survive. It is time the Minister woke up to this fact because he does not realise the damage that will be done. Why would all the facilities in my area from Rathowen to Dromard in Longford to Kenagh, Kinnegad and Ballynacargy be up in arms? Why is there a mass uprising? The scheme must be reviewed. It must be put on the back burner. The Minister must ensure a proper scheme that allows affordable child care be put in place.

See this speech in context