Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is the most expensive country in which to bring up a child and with regard to child care costs. Child care is based on a model of private delivery, which is fundamentally wrong. The fact that we depend on private child care causes all of the problems many private child care companies have, such as low pay and huge pressure on management trying to deliver important societal care.

This week, "Claire Byrne Live" was very interesting as a comparison was made between public services in Ireland and France, in particular the huge question of child care and how it is delivered. In Ireland, child care for two children costs between €1,000 and €1,400 a month. In France, full-time education starts at age three and it is totally free. In France, free education means free education and one does not pay for anything. Such comparisons usually raise the question as to whether people here are willing to pay more tax for better services. The programme gave an example of a two-earner household with an income of €70,000 year in France and in Ireland. The Irish couple paid more in income tax, universal social charge, PRSI and VAT. The percentage of GDP comprising corporation profit tax was approximately the same. How can the French Government deliver spending of 57% of GDP as against less than 40% in Ireland? The answer is PRSI contributions. Ireland has the lowest rate in the EU and it is only 25% of the rate paid by French employers. If the EU average PRSI was implemented in Ireland, it would raise at least €13 billion. What we could do with €13 billion in our services would be absolutely fantastic.

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