David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I commend Deputy Enright and others on tabling this motion for consideration. It is very important for us to debate this topic because it is one of the most important matters we could discuss in the House. Like other bodies, the National Economic and Social Forum has produced a great deal of research in this area. The forum has made the point that education is not a repeatable process:

So whilst consumers of other goods upon realising that they are not provided with adequate quality may simply change producers, for education the change does not compensate for the previous loss of opportunities. This inability to catch-up puts an enormous strong a penalty on getting it wrong in the first place.

It is important that the Members of this House should have a proper debate on this issue. I suggest that it is so important that it should be debated at length by a joint committee. We cannot do it proper justice in this forum.

The elephant in the drawing room is the fact that €477.2 million was spent on the early child care supplement last year, whereas just €170 million is being provided for early childhood education under this scheme. It is clear straight away that there has been a major cut in this area. We all welcome the decision to provide one year of free preschool education to every child. Nobody could argue with that. It is important that we debate how and why it is being done. In 2005, the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, who is now the Taoiseach, told the Dáil:

The Government acknowledges the continuing cost pressures on parents, especially those with young children, for whom I am today providing some additional financial support. I have had the benefit of examining a wide range of different views and proposals but it is clear that a broad consensus is hard to find. Having looked in depth at all the issues, I have decided that the most effective response lies in introducing a new early child care supplement.

He went on to explain that a payment of €1,000 per annum would be provided in respect of each child aged six years or under. That decision was made at a time of full employment, when we were told the country had tons of money. Now that we are facing a period of huge unemployment, and massive stresses and strains are being faced by the same families the current Taoiseach acknowledged in 2005 were under pressure. The Government has decided to cut the level of support being offered to the families of small children by hundreds of millions of euro. That elephant in the drawing room has not been acknowledged by Deputies on the Government side. We all agree that the provision of a year of free preschool education during early childhood is a good and laudable idea, but we must also acknowledge that it is accompanied by a massive cut. It would be wrong to ignore that. It is disingenuous of Deputies on the other side of the House to ignore that fact.

Children learn a great deal, including language and social skills, when they are two or three years of age. As it is a very important time, we need to provide high-quality preschool care and education to children of that age. I acknowledge the good work that is being done in this area. I encourage those involved to continue it. The imposition of charges has been referred to. I suggest that a progressive scheme should be introduced. I ask the Minister of State to examine what is being done in Denmark and Sweden. I am sure he is aware, having visited those countries a number of years ago, of some of the policies being pursued there. The charge that is imposed in Denmark is capped at between 30% and 33% of the cost. Low-income families pay much less. A similar regime applies in Sweden where a certain amount is charged for this service.

I am a little concerned that if child care providers are not allowed to impose charges, they will not be able to afford to continue to provide this service. This is a practical concern. I do not want people to suggest that Fine Gael wants to introduce a charge. We should have a proper debate on this. This real concern has been brought to our attention by child care providers. I am sure they have also brought it to the attention of the Minister. They have to pay rates and various other costs that are associated with providing a service. The Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, spoke about labour costs last night. Perhaps we should consider allowing child care providers to impose a small charge on those who can afford it. Those who cannot afford it should be entitled to get child care for free or for a lesser amount. That might be worth considering and debating.

This is a crucial issue. I know the Minister of State is familiar with the research that has been done under the US-based Perry scheme. It is estimated that $8 is recouped from every $1 that is invested under the scheme. Perhaps one year of free preschool education is not enough. We must remember that children need to be ready to move on to the next level. I know the Minister of State understands that. While I accept that there might have to be an arbitrary cut-off point, perhaps it is not right to move the child on if he or she is not ready. Some children need 18 months or two years of preschool education. Our motion states that some flexibility must be built into the system. I ask the Minister of State to organise a proper debate on this matter at a joint committee. Perhaps this measure can be discussed with the experts as it develops and progresses. We should not forget that the abolition of the early child care supplement will have a huge impact on families at the lower end. That is a concern to others.

I could talk about other matters. I was told at the time that the initial administrative cost of establishing the early child care supplement scheme was approximately €6 million. Issues arose when it became clear that a small proportion of that money was going out of the country. It all counts now. We should have a proper debate on this issue. We should develop the new approach properly over time. We should ensure as many children as possible can avail of early childhood education until they go to primary school.

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