Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement of that special unit and the process under way on the EU child guarantee, which is so important. I welcomed also the announcement today by the Minister for Justice on the regularisation of undocumented scheme. I have been working with the Migrant Rights Centre, the Immigrant Council, Labour Youth and other organisations for some time and have constructively engaged with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on that. I am conscious that will really help and support many children who currently live in very precarious positions and in poverty.

Will the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, consider a more targeted focus on tackling child poverty? I am conscious that in Britain, there was a model in the early years of the New Labour Government whereby a child poverty unit was established in Whitehall to target funding and resources with those twin aims of eradicating child poverty and child homelessness.

We know investment in early years and early childhood care and education is also crucial, and is, in fact, the key measure necessary to tackle child poverty. We have heard that from the experts who have appeared before us in the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We are very anxious to see a public and universal access childcare and early years education scheme being rolled out by the Government. We will work with the Minister on that. We have been pushing for an equal early years campaign on that. We would welcome any further and urgent steps being taken in that regard.

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