Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I take this opportunity to also support Deputy Jan O'Sullivan on everything she has said on the need for beds in St. Vincent's hospital. I have also raised the issue a number of times in this House. Every day that those people wait for a bed their lives are literally being put at risk. I also take this opportunity to note the need for post-transplant facilities for cystic fibrosis patients within St. Vincent's hospital. This is a debate that has gone on for a long time and we need action urgently.

I have made a number of representations to the Minister of State with responsibility for Children and Youth Affairs on the anomalies in the free preschool year scheme. Every reply contains the exact same information, which is that the scheme as it stands is working adequately and will not be changed, but this is not my experience.

The concept of the free preschool is laudable, and it may be working well for a large number of people. However, I know of a number of individuals for whom it is not working. First, the age limit on eligibility precludes a number of children from availing of the free preschool year. It seems to be discriminatory to put in place an age range which, by adhering to it, means that some children, who will be eligible to attend primary school the following year, fall outside that range. It is not right that a child may be accepted in to a primary school at a certain age, but is outside the age range for the preschool in the previous year. For example, a child who is aged three in September is not eligible for a preschool place, but the same child, the following September, aged four, is eligible for a place in a primary school. This means that a number of children within those age brackets - it is only approximately two months - will fall outside the net.

If the Minister of State believes children should not be allowed to attend a primary school unless they are aged four years and two months in September, then he should say so. That gap causes an anomaly which precludes a number of children from availing of the free preschool year. Telling them they can wait for another year just puts an additional financial burden on their parents and does not solve the problem. The Minister of State has stated to me that this is a rule that applied to the "majority". Why is there a minority that is excluded and I seem to know a number of them? I do not understand the logic behind this rule.

Second, a number of anomalies exist in a playschool or preschool where different categories of children are being catered for. In a recent reply the Minister of State pointed out that parents may supplement the food for the children, by providing their own. I am aware of preschools and playschools with different categories of children qualifying for different subsidies. Some of them are entitled to free lunch or fruit snacks and others are not. It is not acceptable to stand by and tell a four year old or a three year old that he or she cannot have his or her quota of chopped-up apples today, but his or her friend in the same group can. This is not the real world, where in a disadvantaged area there will be different categories of children whose parents have different incomes. Is it reasonable or sensible to discriminate between the children who are getting subsidies, and those who are not, based on income?

I am asking the Minister to review the scheme to allow for those children who are eligible for primary school in any given year to also be eligible for preschool the previous year, regardless of their age. I realise this only applies to a small number of children, but that small number is very important. I am also asking the Minister of State to review the various subsidy systems that exist whereby children within the same playgroup must be treated differently. For those places that are in receipt of various different subsidies, those who must pay full rate are not entitled to any subsidy are now keeping their children at home. Many people whose income is just above the threshold are unable to afford the fee meaning that their only option is to keep the child at home, which is very discriminatory against that particular disadvantaged group that is on the margins and just outside the income level. I am asking the Minister of State to review the basis of the various subsidy schemes so that every child has a real chance of availing of a preschool place and not just those who can afford it. The current situation is simply creating another poverty trap for the marginalised.

The primary purpose of raising this matter is to address the anomaly regarding the age groups whereby by being a month or two outside the bracket certain children fall through the net and do not get the free preschool year.

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