Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

I will address the section on transition years in respect of the one-parent family payment. During the Minister's last intervention she made many points. The single most shameful matter with which Ireland has never dealt is the lack of a child orientation, particularly in terms of young children's education, after school and preschool services and supports. In the 1990s, the Labour Party played a role in developing the circumstances to improve access to third level colleges. Money should also have been invested in early child education. Had working class children been provided with that education, they would have been able to go on to third level education. Although this formed part of the Labour Party's programme at the time, it was not done. In the 15 years since the Labour Party was last in power, Fianna Fáil did not do much either.

I know couples where one parent left work because child care for three kids cost too much, sometimes as much as a full wage. That was during the boom, but we are now in a recession and up to 450,000 people are unemployed, many for the first time in their lives. For this reason, the social welfare bill is €20 billion. People are not on the dole or in receipt of jobseeker's benefit because they want to be or because it is a lifestyle choice. They are in a terrible position, in that they have found themselves out of work and must ask for mortgage interest supplement, rent supplement and other supports to get them through this time.

The countries to which the Minister referred provide good supports for child care and they also have jobs. The Netherlands nearly fell apart over the weekend because of the austerity measures that were being proposed. Dutch people were not prepared to accept cuts to child benefits and support systems and there was division in the Government.

The Minister should not touch the transition years until the necessary supports are in place. If the Ministers for Children and Youth Affairs and Education and Skills are preparing these supports, what models are being considered and how will preschool and after-school care be put in place in 18 months? How will they determine the number of children needing child care, investigate training requirements and ensure child care is affordable and accessible?

This is a big issue. When I was in the CWU a proposal was made to provide child care facilities in O'Connell Street which would be funded by all the companies in the area. Employees from the GPO and the shops in the area could bring their children to a community crèche or child care space on the street. These suggestions have been under discussion for a long time by members of the Labour Party and others but we are still in the shameful position of not providing facilities anywhere. Child care is generally provided through small for-profit facilities but while some of these are very well run they are not accessible to people on low incomes, whether they are lone parenting, on the dole or in low-paid jobs. If these people are to return to work where are the jobs and what sort of training will be provided? Money should be funnelled into education and affordable child minding services, where it is badly needed.

It is disingenuous of the Minister to raise these issues. The women who face a predicament because of what she is proposing are telling me that seven years is too young. The transition measure should not be implemented until we put in place the child supports people in this society need. If a strategy is being devised, what is it, where will it lead and when will be in place? If the Minister can give us that information people will be more willing to accept her argument.

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