Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State lives in the commuter belt, he should know about the pressures that families are clearly under. We have to address another cohort of people as well. I refer to people in the lower income brackets who are in a trap. We are talking about giving people choices that allow them to develop professionally. The difficulty for women, in particular, who want to go back into the workplace is that the prohibitive cost of child care is preventing them from doing so. We need to streamline the community child care subvention scheme and ensure it is nationally available so that people can go back into the workplace. Opportunities will increase as the economy picks up and there is a demand for people to come into employment. That is a key area for people who are on low pay and are continuing to face the trap to which I refer. Our efforts have to be directed and targeted at such people. The two cohorts I have mentioned need to be addressed for differing reasons. I have spoken about people with huge mortgages, who need to get on the treadmill at 6 a.m. every day, dropping kids at crèches all over the place across the countryside, in order to fund those mortgages. I have also referred to those who need support to get out of the trap that is preventing them from going from welfare to work and for whom the cost of child care is prohibitive.

We have to prioritise this issue. I know there is always huge pressure on budgets, finances and Government expenditure in general. This would not just be an investment for today - it would be an investment for tomorrow and for the generations ahead. I have mentioned the evidence-based research which shows that early interventions and supports are good for individuals, for families and collectively for the country as a whole. Regardless of whether this motion is agreed or rejected, at least it has brought some solution-based ideas to the floor of the Dáil for discussion. We cannot allow this issue to slide off the agenda. When we talk about the economy, growth and employment, we must also take account of societal issues and the impact of policies on the development of individuals and collectively. That debate is being lost at present because there is a consistent focus on the latest OECD figures and Exchequer returns etc. We need to keep a focus on where we prioritise our resources. Certainly, the extension of the free preschool year and the community child care subvention scheme is critical in the context of child care. They relate to two areas where people are trapped. People on low incomes are unable to move from welfare to work. People are funding exorbitant mortgages through no fault of their own because they simply want to put a roof over their head. I commend the motion. I hope the Minister looks on what we have proposed in a favourable way. I hope our proposals will be taken into account in the context of framing future budgets.

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