Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, on the excellent work they are doing in respect of childcare.

The pandemic has underlined the fact that childcare is fundamentally important to the operation of our economy. Prior to this, people have looked at childcare as though it is the responsibility of an individual or an individual couple and a difficulty for them in their lives. However, the pandemic has shown that it is crucial to the operation of our economy. I agreed with Deputy Lahart when he said earlier that the State probably needs to get more involved and get more of a return on its investment in childcare. We need to look again at what community facilities are available that are owned by the State. National schools and the lands beside them seem like an obvious example of that. The State can provide space for childcare in such facilities into the future. That is something we have to look at.

The most significant step that can be taken by the Government in order to return some normality to childcare is the reopening of primary and secondary schools. Many parents who have kids in childcare also have children in school and the fact that the schools are not open is making this lockdown much more difficult than the previous one. I am fully aware that there are issues in respect of public health that have to be considered and that the safety of teachers has to be considered. I wish to echo and repeat - and I do not expect the Minister or the Minister of State to respond to this - what the then acting Chief Medical Officer said in a letter to parents on 31 August last in advance of the opening of schools. He said that the sustained closure of schools was having "very real harm" on children. That is something the Minister needs to take into account and bring to the Cabinet table. There are balancing issues here in terms of public health but when we have a statement from the then acting Chief Medical Officer that "very real harm" was being done to our children as a result of the sustained closure of schools, we need to act upon that. Hopefully we will be able to get that conversation going in the near future. I welcome the fact that in recent days, it was announced that schools in Scotland will be reopening later in February. I would hope to see the same thing happening here because we cannot allow damage to be inflicted on our children.

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