Dáil debates

Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Priority Questions

Child Care Facilities.

3:00 pm

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Defence the progress made on providing a workplace child care facility in the Curragh Camp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6831/08]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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A request to provide crèche facilities for members of the Defence Forces has been made by the Defence Forces representative associations. The Defence Forces partnership steering group, which was established following from Partnership 2000, has tasked a partnership sub-committee with examining the issue of the provision of child care facilities under a number of headings, including demand for places, location and cost. A report from the sub-committee on the feasibility of undertaking such a project is awaited.

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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This report has been awaited for almost a year. Will the Minister place more urgency on demanding completion of this report?

The Minister made great play out of trying to attract more females into the Defence Forces and he launched a campaign in that respect some time ago. Female members deserve a family-friendly workplace and for younger women, in particular recently married women, surely a child care facility in the workplace is critical in attracting more women into the Defence Forces. Such a facility is one of the many incentives the Minister must ensure is put in place. I appeal to the Minister to make such provision a priority and to ensure that this committee, which has been lingering for almost the past year in its work on this project, reports to him as soon as possible. He should set a deadline for completion of this report.

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I will make inquiries about that. I understand the committee will report on it shortly. For a positive decision to be taken, we would have to be satisfied that the demand for such a facility would justify the capital expenditure because it would involve not only premises but equipment etc. We would also want to be satisfied that its operation would be self-financing as the other six State crèches, provided under the Civil Service provision of crèche scheme, are expected to be.

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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In terms of such a facility being self-financing, it would not require a great deal of money. I understand that there is a space in the Curragh that could be easily adapted for this type of facility. The main cost probably would be on the employment of personnel rather than the creation of a new space for the facility or the use of special equipment, bearing in mind that the equipment required for crèche facilities is generally not very expensive. Right across the public service crèches are available, even for people in this House I understand. I do not believe that expense should necessarily be a deterrent for the provision of this facility, which is being demanded by military personnel.

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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My information is that only six crèches are being provided across the public service, each with about 30 places, which is relatively small in the general scheme of things, and they are all expected to be self-financing.