Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This and the previous Government prioritised children and their central importance in Irish society. That is why we had the appointment of a Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, a referendum to enshrine the rights of children in the Constitution and set up and funded Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Minister, Deputy Katherine Zappone, is following on the work already done in facilitating free GP care for every child under six years. The introduction of a second pre-school year is being followed by her reflections and proposals on how we can draw together the many disparate elements of child care in an effective, co-ordinated and comprehensive system that will both have a universal and a focused and targeted element for those at work, given the cost of child care in this country which is among the highest in Europe. The second free pre-school year is saving parents on average of some €4,000 per child. Some 127,000 benefit from it, while 65,000 can benefit from the introduction of two weeks' paternity leave. As I said, added to this, free GP care for the under-sixes benefits the parents of over 435,000 children.

This year, obviously, people have to make a choice. Sometimes mothers will decide to stay at home or to have their children looked after by other members of the family such as grandparents and so on while they are at work. We are very clear that what happens in the early years really benefits children into adulthood. The budget is following through on progress in that regard. The home carers tax credit will be increased by 10% to €1,100 from 1 January. The new affordable child care scheme will commence in September next year. As I said, it will have both a universal and a targeted element. In respect of childminders who are members of the family such as grandparents who are not registered, clearly, the Government recognises the work they do as an essential part of family life, as it has been for generations. However, if the State wishes to subsidise child care, we need to know where the children are and who their childminders are. That is a responsibility with which the State has to comply. Childminders in that situation with children in the home can, of course, register with Tusla first if they wish to benefit, but that is a choice they have to make.

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