John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I compliment Deputy Shatter on bringing forward this important motion. I am also delighted that Deputy Devins is with us, having attended a large public meeting with child care providers at Dromahair, County Leitrim, last week. Deputy Devins was conscious of the clear message from that meeting. The purpose of this valuable motion is to achieve major improvements to the child care subvention scheme proposed by this Government. From the time this proposed scheme was announced I have received strong representations from many parents expressing alarm at the proposed changes. These parents are concerned at the extra financial demands that will hit them, and that some of them will be forced to leave employment if they wish to have their children attend local child care facilities. The proposed new scheme will block the hopes of parents who currently work at home and who wish to resume training and employment. As an immediate step to defuse this looming crisis, the Government must agree to the extension of the existing subvention up to 31 December 2008 to ease the concerns and fears of parents. The proposed six monthly review period up to June 2008 is not long enough for community child care facilities to accumulate the information being requested by the Department. We must get a full and fair picture of the additional costs being imposed on the different categories of parents if the Government's proposed cutbacks to the child care subvention scheme are implemented as planned. It is essential that the review is conducted over 12 months, not six months. A 12 month review period would cover the full annual cycle of costs and would give a more balanced picture.

The Government's proposed new child care subvention scheme has one worthwhile aim, which is to help disadvantaged children. I fully support this aim. However, the proposed scheme does not provide sufficient support to community child care services as they try to provide a reasonable service for parents and children at an affordable cost. We must avoid the creation of a new low working income trap, similar to the poverty trap we had some years ago. The danger with the proposed child care scheme is that a key socio-economic group of parents, particularly mothers, will become separated from opportunities by their income, access to education and to jobs. We must avoid the reinvention of the situation where it is better to be on welfare than at work. In rural community child care services, such as in my own constituency of Sligo-North Leitrim, it is the integrated and balanced local community-based role of the service that deserves the strongest support from the child care subvention scheme.

I ask the Taoiseach to take a direct personal interest in this issue. We know that he has a deep interest in the work of Professor Robert D. Putnam and his valuable research work on the idea of social capital. The development of high social capital and good civic engagement at local community level are directly related. These factors are a major asset for our society. From Professor Putnam's research work, we know that opportunities to participate in the workforce and quality child care are core issues in building a well integrated society. Rural community child care services are an excellent example of the type of local community co-operation that builds social capital and social equality.

In order to ensure that we do not lose the valuable results that have been achieved to date by the various community child care services now up and running, I call on the Government to bring forward major improvements to the child care subvention scheme now proposed. Every child care provider in Sligo-North Leitrim attended a huge public rally last week in Dromahair and the message was clear. This scheme should be withdrawn until the Government can come back with a scheme that is workable.

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