Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I, too, compliment Sinn Féin on bringing forward this very timely and important motion. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. It is a bad state of affairs if we do not look after our young people and nurture them properly.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, I salute na máithreacha go léir, the mothers who care for children in their homes, as well as the extended family - grandparents and neighbours and friends in the sense of the meitheal. The old adage is that it takes a village to raise a child.

I salute the visionaries for the community crèches especially, as well as private crèches that exist. They must be supported because they involve volunteers. We cannot kill the spirit of the volunteer.

The Minister of State, Deputy Collins, visited Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua last Wednesday evening when he was in Newcastle village. He saw it for himself at first hand. I am very proud to have been involved in the setting up of Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua. It was the brainchild of Helen Nic Craith, a sister-in-law of mine. A voluntary board has continued to run it. It has responsibility for children in the first instance - babies, toddlers, preschool and after-school services. It also has responsibility for its employees. It looks after them. There is a very happy relationship between staff and management, led by Mary and Joanne. It is important we have proper conditions and wages. I met Marie Lonergan, who is there from the inception of the service, which is in place for more than 20 years. She made a very passionate plea for workers to be respected and supported. Sadly, they are not. They are treated as second-class citizens. They do not get the same rate of pay or holiday pay. The voluntary boards do their best. The early years supports help to support such facilities. Another problem relates to the maintenance and retention of staff. The naíonra has been very lucky. Because it is a wonderful place to work, the staff have stayed, but recently a number of them have had to retire or they have reached the end of their time on a CE scheme. The naíonra is finding it hard to replace the staff, which is a problem that is experienced throughout the country. A multifaceted approach is needed.

I salute Cahir Bears, Ardfinnan Community Playschool and the childcare service in Ballyporeen. They are wonderful institutions. They got funding from Pobal but they had some difficulty in drawing down the money and getting it. They had to be architects, managers, builders and everything else. Many of these services are wonderful success stories. That is the case in Cluain Meala freisin and in many villages. This started with five daltaí. My own daughter was one of the first students in the first naíonra. She is 30 years of age now. Twenty-five years ag fás – fiche bliain is fiche.

I want to impress on the Government that we must look at childcare. It is not the case that one size fits all. We must support parents who are in the home and allow them to be there as that is the best of all solutions. The second best approach is community childcare and then private childcare. The situation must be considered in an holistic way. All the facilities cannot be public because that does not work. We see that with the education system itself. There are difficulties and challenges, especially with special needs and the clamour for special education places. We have many such services in the country. Many schools have got extra rooms but some people have been left out. I could mention Bansha National School, which is still awaiting sanction for a second room. The boards of management in those schools and the principals and staff want the facilities. It is great to have people who want to care and to give extra care to special children. They need to be supported. I know Rome was not built in a day but it is tough. We do need more special schools. We have a special school in Clonmel, Tipperary. Ferryhouse, which is south of Clonmel, is no longer in use for its previous purpose. It is ideally located on the border with Waterford. The river is all that is between us. West Waterford has struggled to get places as well.

This is a very timely motion. The Minister was here earlier and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is here now. We have an adversarial system that results in the Government rejecting the motion. It is a good motion and we all need to work together. Ní neart go chur le chéile. We must try to do that for the sake of the children, including those yet unborn, who need places such as the ones in my area of Caisleán Nua, where there are up to six.

I intend to support the naíonraí we have. My wife, Margaret, and I have 13 grandchildren, so we will be in need of childcare and childcare facilities for some time, as well as national schools. It is an evolving situation. It is great to see it continuing. These places are so badly needed. The rules are rigorous. The childcare services know what they have to do. They are looking after other people's children. There are strict rules, including HACCP and the guidelines on food preparation. The vast majority of naíonraí are very happy places. I heard previous speakers refer to situations where people were overcharged or they did not get access to the free scheme. That is a pity. Is mór an trua é sin. It is important that future generations are nurtured. We must give respect to the boards of management, the management and staff, including cleaners and the suppliers. In our community of Caisleán Nua, tá na naíonraí ag fás. They are expanding. We have 120 daltaí and 17 staff. It is like an industry in our small village. It is one of the biggest employers in the area.

I remember that when we first opened the doors, people came from New Ross, which is 70 miles away. I could not believe it. That shows the kind of demand that was there. The shortage of places has been addressed to a good extent, but there is continuing need and a demand for extra support. Funding for childcare services from Pobal is great, as is funding for the Department, but it is for construction. Many community initiatives are suffering due to a lack of continuing upgrades and maintenance supports. We must examine such issues and be imaginative. We must have a fund, whether it is for community centres or community crèches, for maintenance and contingencies for events such as accidents, lightning strikes or other events. God knows what will happen. Buildings get old and they need to be upgraded, especially with modern heating systems and everything else. We must also bear in mind running costs and the cost of fuel. It is not simple. It has been a great pleasure for me to have been involved in Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua. I am no longer on the board but I still have regular contact with it. I love to go in to hear the children ag súgradh out in the yard and then to see them walking from there up to the scoil náisiúnta. It is an holistic approach that keeps the village alive.

I have spoken about the childcare services in my area but there are also wonderful community crèches in Clonmel, Mullinahone, Caiseal Mumhan, Cathair Dún Iascaigh, Ballyporeen and Ardfinnan. There are many others I have not mentioned, such as Ballingarry. I remember Clare Cashman and Sr. Patricia. The service was their brainchild. We must stimulate such activists and people who want to do good and to provide childcare places and other facilities literally from the cradle to the grave.

Tá an t-am almost caite.

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