Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I realise this is difficult and I thank the Minister for her professionalism in regard to how she is approaching this subject. However, I have to say I do not believe that childcare was given appropriate attention at the level of NPHET. Perhaps that was not its role but, certainly, when we look back on the minutes from 16 March, it comes up as an item under discussion and it is then pushed on to another date, but it does not appear. I went through the dates, which run from 16 to 31 March and on to 3 and 7 April. During that time, there was talk about essential workers, then talk about essential care workers and then it was to be kept under review and a paper was presented. I asked the Minister on the last occasion whether there is a copy of that paper that was presented and noted in the minutes because, surely, all the problems were identified. Perhaps the Minister will tell me before she finishes.

My point is that it is clear that what we need is public childcare. We need delivery of childcare by the State. The State did not do that and problems have been created. Of course, we always have to go in and pick up the pieces, for example, in regard to the nursing homes.

The problem in childcare has arisen for many reasons. I thank the Nevin Institute for a research paper which the Minister might get the Department to look at. The researcher, Dr. Lisa Wilson, has set out quite clearly that there is a misalignment between the road map for opening up and the absence of childcare facilities. Childcare did not appear in the road map published by the Government except to say crèches will open on a certain date in a very reduced manner. There is no policy intervention and no realisation of the extent of the service provided by childcare workers and families. The figures are very interesting. Approximately 50% of childcare is provided by families. This does not feature in any policy document. In 62% of those cases, the parents are full-time workers.

There are all sorts of interesting facts in the paper which have not featured anywhere in NPHET's work or in any Government policy statement. I am not blaming the Minister for this but it is time that we recognised childcare and grasped the opportunity that there should be a public care model. We should also realise the amount of unrecognised childcare work that families do. There is absolutely no recognition at Government level of the misalignment between opening up the economy and having no childcare provision. In addition, there is no recognition of the extent of the problem or the solution to the problem. It is very difficult for me, as a female Deputy, to look at this and, as I have said already, to cope with the kite that was flown that the Department would be abolished, just when it is learning what to do with regard to childcare and women. I thank the Minister for her honesty and professionalism. She has shown an honesty on these matters that was never there before.

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