Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I commend the Government on the success of the not-for-profit child care facilities which have been of great benefit to communities where they have been provided. Significant voluntary effort has been made by local communities to access funding and, in co-operation with the Department, fantastic facilities have been set up across the country, no more so than in my own patch. I visited them in recent years and I was struck by the gainful employment being provided in rural communities in particular that would not have many employment opportunities. Some staff were not previously in the workforce. These child care facilities have allowed parents to go back to education. Affordable child care has been a fantastic social inclusion measure. Perhaps that was not the original intention but that has been an additional benefit. Excellent work has been done and opportunities have been created to allow people to join the workforce or to retrain.

I welcome the motion and the Minister's statement, previously in the Seanad and again tonight, about his intention when all the information that has been requested from the child care facilities is returned to the Department. One of the difficulties in the provision of child care was whether to classify people. People will find a change difficult. I spoke to the Minister of State on a number of occasions about this issue. Those who have been able to get back into the workforce, even though they may be on low incomes and for whom it is just economic to go out to work, have gained a great sense of self worth and become integrated into society. I urge the Minister of State to ensure these people are catered for when the information is analysed by the Department. We must ensure the child care facilities the Government has put in place across the country can continue to survive and to prosper and grow because they have provided a fantastic service across the country. When the information is analysed it is important to ensure we get the right level of service and target the money for child care at the people who most need it.

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