Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I wish Deputy Bacik the very best in her new role as leader of the Labour Party, which is a huge honour, privilege and responsibility. We look forward to working with her in that new role and we wish her and the Labour Party well. Our democratic system is critical to everything we do. A leadership position is an honour to hold.

I expressed concern earlier that if we just see the solution to our energy crisis as being a cut to every form of tax revenue, that presents difficulties. One of the areas to which the Government is committed in the run-in to the budget process in terms of the provision of additional resources is the area of childcare. My answer to the Deputy's question about whether we should prioritise that among the variety of different priorities we have is "Yes". I think we are right to do so. It is very difficult now for young people to see how they can raise a family here because of the cost of housing, the pressures in the workplace and all sorts of other pressures. It is a real challenge. We need to make it easier and to support them at that critical time. The strength of the support at that time will bear fruit as those children grow up having had the best possible love and care in their early years. How exactly we do that is the issue. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, will have a critical role in that regard. As part of the budgetary process, he will need to have a clear discussion with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on how to get those resources and how best to develop a new childcare system. I am sure Deputy Bacik will acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has already done a huge amount for people working in the sector, for example in recognising why caring work is always the least well paid work and what it is in our society that does not see that work as the most important work.

From a personal perspective, I always think we have to be careful if we are going to have a Donogh O'Malley moment. We have to remember the right of parents to make decisions. It is up to each family and parents to decide what is best. There are many parents who, for various reasons, decide that they will raise children in their own homes. We have to be careful not to forget them in the supports that are needed and make sure they are not discriminated against in terms of whatever measures we put in place. My sense of what the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is working on is that it is along the lines, and within the scale of ambition, of what Deputy Bacik has spoken about. We want that sort of that moment whereby we make it really easy in this country for people to be able to raise a child in the best way possible and we ensure it fits with the various different family circumstances. That is going to be a budget measure; it will not be introduced within the timelines mentioned in regard to other measures spoken about today. That discussion would be well placed with the Minister at the relevant Oireachtas committees in advance of the budget.

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