Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the Minister mentioned the Growing Up in Ireland survey and the scheme she introduced in the budget because the survey finds 42% are brought up by family relatives, 31% are brought up by non-relatives, as in childminders, and only 27% are brought up in centre-based crèches, yet the scheme she introduced in the budget caters only for the minority of parents who use centre-based crèches. The difficulty with childminders is that many are not registered. Many are women who could not afford to go back to work and who mind, for a short few years, the children of neighbours or others they know.

The Government has chosen to introduce a scheme that will benefit a minority of parents directly at the expense of a child benefit increase to all parents.

Child benefit needs to be restored and there must be radical reform. The system should be tweaked to facilitate more families and made available to all families on an equal basis.

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