Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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I will share time with Deputies Boyd Barrett, Mick Wallace, Joan Collins and Catherine Murphy.

It is very well documented, and people know, that every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood programmes for disadvantaged children produces a 7% to 10% annual return on investment through increased productivity and lower social costs. Investment in child care is beneficial not only for the children involved, but for everybody, and yet Irish parents are absolutely crippled under the burden of the enormous cost of trying to access it, which is in many instances greater than a second mortgage. It is a reflection of the fact the social wage in Ireland is completely out of sync with the rest of Europe.

The reason the situation is so bad is we have outsourced and privatised early education. I am not blaming the private sector for this. In fact, I am well aware that many struggling crèche owners who want to do the very best for the children in their care are actually penalised by the current scenario. It is not sustainable for them to earn a living. Our society and successive Governments have undervalued the work of those employed in child care and crèche workers. Those employers who try to pay over the odds and above the minimum wage and meet the standards are penalised and it is made more difficult for them to do their job.

We have to be much more imaginative in how we deal with these issues. I am in favour of the Government taking over many of these businesses, compensating those involved and continuing to employ them. In the same way as we deal with schools which have principals and ordinary teachers, we could have crèche managers and their workers taken over directly, under the control of the State. If we do not invest in early childhood education, children today will not achieve their potential and our society will be weaker. It is an absolute disgrace that those who are trying to do their best in this sector have been abandoned by the Government and it is about time it listened to their concerns.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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As in so many areas, the Government is disastrously letting down children and parents. The cost of child care is a disaster, as is the failure of the State to invest adequately in providing affordable child care. The average cost of child care is €162 a week, but the cost can be as high as €1,000 or €2,000 a month. This means someone with average earnings of approximately €30,000 a year and two children would pay every cent earned after tax towards the cost of child care. It is completely unsustainable and unmanageable.

All of this has been made considerably worse by the impact of the Government's cuts and austerity, particularly the vicious cuts experienced by one-parent families. From the Government that talks so much about labour activation, the effect of the cut in the income disregard, which essentially was child care money for lone parents, has meant that employment levels among lone parents have gone from 60% in 2012, when that budget was passed, to 36%.

We now have the incredible situation where 32% of families in the country are in deprivation, but this rises to 63% for lone parents. This month, the situation for lone parents will be made even worse, and even more of them will be driven out of the work place due to the unaffordability of child care, because 58,000 one-parent families are receiving letters stating another €86 will be cut. This is all despite the Minister, Deputy Burton, stating none of these cuts would happen until we had a bankable workable Scandinavian child care system. What a sick joke that turned out to be.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Hardly a Deputy here does not agree that the fact we do not have affordable child care is a massive problem in Ireland. It is a problem for the child and the economy. It has a big impact on poverty levels. We have the fastest rising child poverty rate in Europe. It is significant that only 42% of single mothers in Ireland are in the workplace, because the others cannot afford to work. A very good friend of mine, Haxhi, and his partner, Eugenie, have to move to Germany because she wants to study and he has to work. They can get their child minded there for nothing. It makes such a difference when good child care is available.

I know it is not cheap and it would cost the State a lot to do it right and put a really good system in place, but a serious priority for the Government should be to start to make inroads into providing this absolutely vital service. It would make such a difference to the child's start in life and a big difference to dealing with the crazy level of rising child poverty. It is a no-brainer from the point of view of investment. As Deputy Daly stated, €1 spent on a child under three saves the State €8 before the child is an adult. It will be very good for the economy when we eventually see the good sense in investing from the start.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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Ireland is the most expensive country in which to bring up a child and with regard to child care costs. Child care is based on a model of private delivery, which is fundamentally wrong. The fact that we depend on private child care causes all of the problems many private child care companies have, such as low pay and huge pressure on management trying to deliver important societal care.

This week, "Claire Byrne Live" was very interesting as a comparison was made between public services in Ireland and France, in particular the huge question of child care and how it is delivered. In Ireland, child care for two children costs between €1,000 and €1,400 a month. In France, full-time education starts at age three and it is totally free. In France, free education means free education and one does not pay for anything. Such comparisons usually raise the question as to whether people here are willing to pay more tax for better services. The programme gave an example of a two-earner household with an income of €70,000 year in France and in Ireland. The Irish couple paid more in income tax, universal social charge, PRSI and VAT. The percentage of GDP comprising corporation profit tax was approximately the same. How can the French Government deliver spending of 57% of GDP as against less than 40% in Ireland? The answer is PRSI contributions. Ireland has the lowest rate in the EU and it is only 25% of the rate paid by French employers. If the EU average PRSI was implemented in Ireland, it would raise at least €13 billion. What we could do with €13 billion in our services would be absolutely fantastic.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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In 2005, I was elected to the Dáil in a by-election in Kildare, and a by-election was held in Meath on the same day. A key issue in the by-election was the lack of available and affordable child care. It seemed to come as a bolt from the blue and was regarded as a commuter belt issue. It is way beyond that. The response was that €1,000 was provided in the following budget per child, and this was subsequently changed to a preschool place which has already delivered returns, including societal returns.

Those with huge mortgages are required to have a double income if they are to keep afloat, and very many of them would argue their child care costs are equivalent to another mortgage. When one looks at it from the point of view of people parenting alone, there are real challenges. They face a real poverty trap in taking up paid employment and working towards building a career. It does not make economic sense when one looks at it over a lifespan. One can make comparisons of taxation throughout Europe, but we do not compare the type of services provided.

People here would be envious of the type of arrangement one would find in France, Spain or Germany, as pointed out by Deputy Joan Collins. We have very expensive child care for the individuals who have to pay for it and very expensive housing, yet we want people to exist on low and moderate incomes. This issue must be taken seriously. Child care must be seen as a societal issue. The Government has a responsibility to deliver it in a different way than it is currently delivered.

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The next speaker is Deputy Bannon and he is sharing his time with Deputies Áine Collins, Mulherin, Mitchell O'Connor.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Blessed art men among women.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Careful, James.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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As I have only a few minutes to make my contribution, I would like to make just one point. As a voluntary board member of Legan Community Childcare in my home parish of Legan, I see first-hand the importance of child care services that are provided in rural Ireland, particularly in Longford-Westmeath. Only last week there was a two-page supplement in the Westmeath Examiner outlining the wonderful services they provide. It was two pages of a happy story with pictures of smiling children and so on. It was great to see that but one would not have seen that ten years ago.

Many families leave preschool children with relatives. However, for those parents who do not have that support system behind them, it is vital that substantial child care funding is provided. I am pleased that €260 million is invested annually by the Government to support the provision of early childhood care and education. The Government is committed to increasing access to subsidised child care and after-school places by extending eligibility and rebalancing parental contributions for families making their way into employment in this recovering economy. It is also important to note that this Government is the first in the history of the State to have a dedicated Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

I commend the hard-working staff within child care services throughout the country. They are incredibly well trained, dedicated and hard-working and it is a pleasure to play my part in supporting them in Longford-Westmeath. I thank the Minister, Deputy Reilly, for the support he has given to Longford-Westmeath. I know he has the same commitment to child care services throughout the length and breadth of the country. I wish I had more time to speak on this issue but I want to allow time for my colleagues to contribute.

Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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There is nothing in this Private Members' motion with which any Member of this House would disagree. I would be surprised if similar aspirations were not expressed by Fine Gael in opposition and also by Opposition parties when Fianna Fáil was in power at the height of the economic boom. Yet with all the surplus that was available then, Fianna Fáil made very little progress in implementing these objectives. In fact, the opposite was the case because of the mishandling of the economy. This allowed very little scope for this Government to implement these objectives. Despite this, some progress has been made and this Government spends more than €0.25 billion a year on improving child care facilities.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, along with every Deputy, is very conscious of the high costs of child care. We currently spend 0.2% of GDP on child care when the European average is 0.7% of GDP. For some young couples it is as costly as their mortgage and this can even prevent one partner from returning to work. The evidence shows that in most cases this happens to be the woman. While young girls are achieving huge results in third level education this is being lost in the economy and, as a result, the economy is suffering. There is a social argument for making child care more affordable. The more people at work, the most taxation is available for spending and investing in infrastructure and personnel resources. More importantly, there are huge long-term advantages for the economy and society generally.

We know that many of the difficulties children and young people face can be traced back to their early years. We also know that, without question, the returns to investment in child care are maximised when investment is directed towards the early years. Last year the Government produced a policy document called Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people 2014-20. This is a specific commitment to continue to increase investment in high quality early years care and education for all children with a special emphasis on low income families. Everyone accepts that there is a long way to go and huge investment is needed. This must be achieved by a combination of public and private investment.

Building the equality of provision is critically important in realising better outcomes for children. This will include higher capitation rates to providers who employ staff with higher qualifications. As the Minister will be aware, a valuation Bill will be introduced in the House on Thursday. The Minister of State, Deputy Harris, introduced an amendment to that Bill in the Seanad, which will mean that rates will no longer be payable by child care facilities that are run on a not for profit basis. I mention two examples in my constituency, one in Boherbue and one in Banteer, which are an ideal example of such facilities. Children are dropped off at 7 a.m. The facilities are fantastic and are run by the community. One of the facilities is next door to the national school. It needs more investment because 278 people use that facility. It needs capital investment to expand it as the demand for it is very high and the facility is very good. I would like to see more of those developments around the country. Such facilities are a very welcome development.

The motion before the House calls on the Government to provide tax breaks for working families, to provide a second full free preschool year, and to introduce an agreed standard payscale for child care workers which would include statutory holiday pay. All these objectives are clearly laid out in the Government's policy document Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. These are all the arguments in the motion that are very desirable and that will be introduced by the Government as resources become available.

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I commend the 25,000 plus hard-working staff throughout the child care sector. They ensure our children are safe, cared for and, most importantly, happy. They allow parents to go to work confident in the knowledge that our little bundles of joy are receiving the best care possible.

Infancy and preschool is a critical stage of a child's development. It is for these reasons that child care providers shoulder an enormous responsibility, but do we value the role of child care providers enough? I reared my two children for the most part as a working mother and can say that child care was my lifeline. It allowed me to continue working while knowing my two young boys were being provided with the best care, love and attention.

I am concerned about the low pay in the child care sector. It does not reflect the hard work and large responsibility that is placed on the child care sector. Often people are paid the minimum wage or a little above it at the rate of approximately €11 per hour. A minimum FETAC qualification has been introduced which will come in to place from next September. I welcome the emphasis on standards and quality. However, with the low pay and emphasis on further qualification, we may be discouraging some people from entering the sector. We need to restore confidence in those students and prove that it is a sustainable and rewarding sector to enter.

Let us not forget that we have undergone unprecedented difficulties in our country. There are almost 260,000 households with a child under the age of five. That is high compared with other EU countries. This year the Government will also invest almost €260 million in a range of child care services as well as in the provision of children's allowance which is paid monthly. The free preschool year introduced in 2010 was a welcome and innovative step. Almost 68,000 children avail of it. This and other schemes introduced by the Government are testament to our quality child care agenda but we need to do more. I ask the Minister seriously to consider extending and introducing a second free preschool year. This would offer a welcome reprieve to parents.

Child care provision is a nationwide problem. It is the single biggest cost facing families. It costs on average €16,000 per year in Dublin for two children to be minded. Many pay more for child care than they do on a mortgage and parents are under pressure. We all know that child care costs in Ireland are among the highest in Europe.

It is time to stop accepting this as the status quoand find solutions to the problem.

I would also like to emphasise the difficulties that children with disabilities face in accessing the free preschool year. Extra resources are not always provided and prevent children with disabilities from availing of the year. It is something that needs to be addressed.

I welcome the establishment of the cross-departmental group, but it must not be another talking shop. It needs to develop real solutions and suggestions. There are missed opportunities in areas of after-school care.

When I was principal of a primary school with more than 600 pupils, we introduced an after-school club which provided on-site child care with qualified child care workers. The programme has gone from strength to strength in the school. The children are supervised in a fun and safe environment and the hassle of transferring children from school to an off-site after-school child care facility has been eliminated. This could be done in each of our primary schools throughout the country.

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I also welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Everybody agrees that children are the future of our country. With all that we know now about educational development and giving them the best start, it is known that the younger we start to provide educational stimulation and a certain type of care and encouragement to children, the more they can realise their potential in the future and at other stages of education as they progress into primary, secondary and third level education and be well-rounded citizens.

As many people have said, until recent years child care was very ad hocand hit and miss. One of the new portfolios introduced by the Government was that of Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, in recognition of the importance of the very young children in our society. I acknowledge the €260 million which is spent each year to support early childhood care and education through the various programmes in place. It differs very much from what we see in primary and secondary schools, in other areas of education and in the care of our children in that much of it has been delivered by those working in the private sector. Very often they, with assistance from the State, spend money on buildings, ensure they comply with regulations and work with the HSE to make sure that standards are being constantly adhered to. There are also community providers. It is a very dynamic area. Private service providers in my county want to ensure the very best standards, quality, care and education are offered to the children with whom they deal and are keen to work with the authorities on regulations and standards. This should always be encouraged, as such providers have significant financial and work related stakes in this area.

As has been alluded to, however, there are difficulties. Some cases have been brought to my attention recently where couples or individuals have to think twice before they have a child. If people are working and have a second child, the cost of child care can be prohibitive in terms of allowing women, for the most part, to return to work. This issue enters into the decision-making process of whether people have children, which is quite a serious thing to say. There are now all sorts of families in existence which have children who grow up and flourish, but the nuclear family is declining in number in our society.

Points have been made about the level of investment in child care and its cost. We spend 0.2% of GDP on it, compared with the European average of 0.7%, and this shows us that we need to do more, invest more and ensure that standards are uniform, not just in one area but throughout the country. If that is done, we can all rest assured that standards are being universally applied and children are being looked after in the right way.

There needs to be support for parents and we need to realise these are very pressing times. We do not want to see children being put at a disadvantage or losing out on opportunities and parents not being able to return to work because of this issue. I welcome the measure announced in the previous budget whereby people could retain some of the dependent child aspect of their social welfare payments if they returned to work. More of these supports are required, and that is the reality that will bite in terms of what we want to see happen with child care in the future.

I understand that the average wage of people working in the child care sector, some of whom are very highly educated and have spent a lot of time studying education, is €11 per hour. It would seem that although we want standards to be maintained, we need to realise we need to pay for that.

I am very hopeful that the matter will be addressed because the commitment is in place. There are many child care support programmes and supports in communities. I welcome in particular the cross-departmental group, which is examining how we will invest in child care services and what the sector will look like. The fact that it is cross-departmental and under the watch of the Minister means that everybody has a stake in it. The care of children transcends any one Department.

What is most crucial is that those we expect to do the job, namely, child care service providers, are an intrinsic part of how we decide to proceed. They have in mind the best outcomes for the children they look after and have some fantastic ideas. I would encourage the communication and consultation which is taking place to continue. I want us to move towards having the kind of child care service we need in this country.

Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Like many others, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I used child care for our children. Having facilities as good as they are today allowed us to work. Had they not been available, our careers would have been in trouble.

Many people are sending children to school too early. Preschool is very important. Child care does not mean just childminding. The people who work in the sector are early educators and will intervene at an early stage if there are issues in terms of speech or other matters. Sometimes they spot issues at an early stage, before others do, and they can then be dealt with successfully.

I discussed this issue with many people in our area. One woman told me she has been working in the sector for 30 years and has a very good school. She has level 6 Montessori qualifications and FETAC level 6. However, she does not qualify for the higher capitation grant. This is unfair because someone who has been in business in the sector for 30 years, who loves the work and has a high level of qualifications should have qualified for the higher capitation grant under a so-called grandfather clause. The rules are unfair to the people who have carried the industry to its current point and made it as successful as it is.

On the inspection of premises, I have received feedback that inspections are varied. It seems that one inspector shows preference for some items over another and when there is a change in inspectors, there is a change in emphasis. We need to have greater standardisation in inspections in order that people are moving on a common path and are not subject to the whims of someone's opinion. I would also like to broaden the type of people who can conduct inspections. From what I understand, it is mainly public health nurses who are involved.

Perhaps we should open it more broadly to others with degrees or qualifications in the area. We must recognise people in the child care professions as professionals. They do great jobs and it is unfair of people just to see it as child care. We have a fabulous education system right from the start. As I mentioned, these people allow us to continue our careers.

For many people, child care is something that is required for a very short period but it is quite a financial burden. I encourage the Minister to consider a second free preschool year, which could be very valuable. It would send out all the right signals. We should remember that we must encourage people to have families because a birth rate that is suitable for the country will ensure that the elderly population can be catered for in time. We need a strong population and many countries are failing to have a large enough population to provide the resources required for elderly people in the years to come. There are children who are graduates of these facilities and I wish them well.

I commend the current Minister and his predecessor on the work done in this new Department. They have really put a strong stamp on it. This Government is serious about children. I wish the Minister well in his continued work in the role.

Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on the motion. Much of what I want to say has been said before. There have been many calls for a second preschool year and there is no doubt that the first free preschool year has been a fantastic success. We also need to question what parents would get from a second preschool year. I have spoken to a number of parents and although they would welcome it, as it helps with the financial burden, sometimes we make the mistake in this country of thinking a child's life starts when he or she goes to school at the age of five; so much of what goes on in their lives has already gone past them at that stage.

Deputy Barry has already mentioned that if there is a learning or intellectual disability, it can sometimes be picked up at a very early age. If a child needs an occupational therapist or any other support, the request could be made to the Department of Health. We sometimes lack some joined-up thinking in getting Departments to communicate. We have some very well qualified people doing these jobs in child care, but they are paid quite poorly, despite having degrees and qualifications. I am not sure where the priority is placed with respect to child care.

I know that €260 million is spent across a range of areas, and one area that should be examined is child benefit. I am still not completely sure why we pay child benefit to people who simply do not need it. Why can it not be means-tested? The money can be taken from those who can afford child care, although I will not set an income level, as that would get me into trouble. Perhaps a system could be devised where more money could be taken from those who can well afford child care and put through the system. I am not sure why this cannot be done, as it would lead to a much fairer system.

We must examine how the process comes together. A child who is one or two years old will not be put in this kind of child care facility. There are more places working with local national schools and child care facilities so that children can be taken at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and collected at 6 p.m. It is becoming the norm. In rural areas this can be difficult, as there might not be a big population. It is important to spread these services right across the country.

There is a lack of men involved with child care. I was contacted by one individual who attended a number of conferences dealing with child care. He was the only man who turned up and people seemed to think he had alternative motives for being there, although he just wanted to take up a career in child care. Surely the area should be open to both men and women so that we can create a more balanced society. Even when this man applies for jobs, he does not feel he is getting appropriate credit.

Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on child care. Participation in high-quality childhood care and education results in better outcomes for children. Access to affordable high-quality care for younger and school-going children is essential for development and future opportunities in education and training and, afterwards, in occupations. Research in 2013 indicated that 77% of preschool children are cared for by parents or relatives and 12% by childminders, with 19% cared for in crèches, Montessori schools etc. Society has changed dramatically in recent decades, and most young parents do not have the choice of staying in the home to rear their families, as financial demands cannot be met unless both parents are working. There is no choice in these cases.

There is €175 million in funding for the ECCE scheme, which benefits 68,000 children each year. This provides a free year of early childhood care and education for children of preschool age. In general, children are eligible for the scheme if they are between three years and two months and fours years and seven months on 1 September for each year that they start. The State pays a capitation fee to participating playschools and day-care services. In return, they provide a preschool service free of charge to all children within the qualifying age range for a set number of hours over a set period. In general, children only qualify for ECCE for one school year, but a child assessed as having a disability may be able to spread the free preschool time over two years. The intention behind ECCE is to intervene before primary school in order to develop a child's education, self-esteem and communication skills. The introduction of a second preschool year would be of benefit and, as others have stated, the Minister should consider its introduction.

It is clear that accessibility to affordable and high-quality child care can play a critical role in achieving a number of the Government's priorities, including the improvement of educational outcomes for children, reducing poverty and increasing parents' participation in the labour market.

Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour)
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This debate is long overdue, as we are coming from behind in this area, with our neighbours and those further afield having child care systems that exceed ours. For a variety of reasons, we are playing catch-up. A report entitled Childcare: Business or Profession? was introduced by the Minister at the end of last year. The research was done by an umbrella group called Start Strong, which is a very good name in the context of a debate on early education and care for children. The report argues that if we focus on the elements of early education and care, with children at the centre, we can make some progress. That is why the debate is very important. The report refers to the models we use and argues that the only expertise we have comes from the example of other jurisdictions with care facilities for children which are of a good standard. It is the model that we should aspire to, and there is nothing wrong with that goal.

It is important that we acknowledge the great commitment of child care workers. They work hard for very poor wages.

That is part of the problem. It is not just an issue of regulation and qualifications. There is also the question of how these very committed people are paid. Those are issues I hope the Government can advance.

Finally, the people who wish to advance child care in this country put forward many reasons as to how A, B, C and so forth can be done, but we should be very careful. Other Deputies have mentioned tax relief for parents in this situation. In fairness to the Minister, he ruled it out last night, and I agree with him. It is only those with the greatest financial resources who will benefit from that. Working class people will not.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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This debate is much overdue and I compliment Deputy Troy not only on his contribution last night, but also on producing a policy paper on the issue of child care.

It is important to emphasise again that child care costs at present are very high. Indeed, it has been pointed out that child care costs are higher than mortgage repayments. If a person or family must juggle both a mortgage and child care costs, it is a very hard task. I have seen research which shows that an average family with two children spends 40% of their wages on child care costs. That is a large amount of money, but successive Governments have ignored the issue and not dealt with it. I hope the current Minister will. Families are now caught in the trap of one parent having to return to work and one parent having to stay at home because of huge child care fees, as it often makes more financial sense not to pay those fees.

I support what has been proposed by Fianna Fáil to support parents who return to work, including a child care subsidy for families who are above the family income supplement threshold. That threshold is quite low. I have encountered families where the carer's benefit was paid to mothers where there might be a child with a disability in the family. This has been paid continuously over two years or perhaps over a longer number of years if there is a break in the carer's payment. For example, it might be required only during the children's holiday period. It would be helpful if there was a discussion with employers about improving that scenario. With some creativity and ingenuity on the part of employers and workers, there could be a better scheme.

I was interested in the report of the expert advisory group on the early years strategy, which was published in September 2013. It identified ten themes. These would make a significant contribution to the development of a holistic early years strategy. The report highlights that Ireland spends 0.4% of GDP on early childhood care and education services compared to the OECD average of 0.7% of GDP. The group proposed that Ireland should achieve the international benchmark of 1% of GDP.

I was also interested in a reply Deputy Sean Fleming received today from the Minister regarding the costing of proposals for child care, paid paternity leave and compensation for small businesses for increases in the minimum wage. These areas have been examined by various Ministers. It was interesting to see that the Minister said the matter is being examined. It is a question of bringing Ministers and Departments together. He said the matter has not been resolved but that the issues are being considered by the various Ministers in the context of their departmental missions and goals. Obviously, that is an area where we must get full information to assess exactly what costs are involved in all of these schemes.

The expert advisory group report also discussed the main child care initiative in the State, the free preschool year in early childhood care and education. This was provided to 68,000 children at a cost of €175 million in 2014. The Revised Estimates for 2015 indicate the funding will be reduced to €172.5 million. We must examine the funding in that area. Capitation rates for children availing of early childhood care was reduced in budget 2012 from €64.50 to €62.50 per child. Again, this area must be examined.

My final point relates to the Indecon report on child care in Donegal. It has an analysis of the cost of child care and reports that the average weekly expenditure on paid child care for one preschool child rose from €118 per week in 2007 to €133 per week in 2013, while the average weekly expenditure on paid child care for one primary school child rose from €72 per week to €81 per week over the same period. It is certainly an expensive operation. We must ensure that all the supports we can provide are provided for hard working families.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the opportunity to make a brief contribution on this most important motion tabled by Deputy Troy. Child care is extremely important for our children's livelihood. The current situation is forcing some people to consider leaving the workforce to look after their children and ease their financial burden. All citizens of this State should be able to work and provide for their family.

There are approximately 4,300 child care centres in Ireland and the number of staff employed in the child care sector is approximately 23,000, which is a substantial figure. There are 405,000 households in Ireland with children under ten years of age, of which 266,000 households have children under five years of age. The birth rate in Ireland is the highest in the EU and the projections suggest growth in the number of children under five years of age in the period to 2016. The number of children of less than five years of age will increase between 2011 and 2016 by approximately 4%.

The cost of child care in Ireland is a significant burden on families. As Deputy Kitt mentioned, an Indecon survey carried out for Donegal County Childcare Committee in November 2013 estimated the annual cost of full-time child care for two children at €16,500 per year. The cost of child care in this country is the second most costly in the OECD in net terms as a percentage of wages and for lone parents the average cost of child care is estimated to be approximately 45% of average wages.

This must be looked at again. Parents need more support from the Government. As at census 2011, there were 25,426 households with children in Louth. Child care is one of the most expensive costs of living. People are suffering and they need help immediately. A National Consumer Agency child care price survey in 2011 found that the average cost of full-time care for a toddler was €181 per week, ranging from €145 to €220 per week across services nationally. This represents an average of over €9,000 per year. How families who are paying all of these bills expect to live, when child care costs are crippling people's budgets, is beyond me. Child care costs can exceed mortgage repayments as the largest monthly bill for families with young children. This increased strain means thousands of working parents, particularly mothers, face the stark choice of quitting work because of the high cost of child care or continuing their careers while losing money.

Incremental upward investment in early childhood care and education is essential if there is to be any real change in the quality of early childhood education within Ireland's early childhood services. Real change is needed immediately. The Government must be proactive, not just reactive. While the free preschool year was a positive step forward, quality across early childhood services remains variable. Measures to improve quality have been largely focused on the free preschool year and on increasing regulation, with almost no support for the development of quality services for children under three years of age.

We therefore believe that an increased investment from the current 0.4% of GDP to 0.7%, on an incremental basis within the lifetime of the next programme for Government, will be required to make progress and increase quality standards in early childhood care and education. Parents need to earn up to €30,000 a year just to fund the cost of child care for two children. A survey by the Irish Independent shows that it costs up to €1,150 per month for a crèche place for a baby. For a baby and a toddler, the cost can rise to as high as more than €2,000 per month. Early childhood is the most important time for public investment in human capital. Children's early years should be protected from the austerity cuts. Public support for child care services should be linked to work-life balance policies and the timing of parental leave to ensure a continuation of support without gaps. The quality of child care is critical to the promotion of child development.

I am pleased to have had the opportunity to make a brief contribution in support of this motion on something which is vitally important for the country, both now and in the future.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Robert Troy for putting forward this motion, which is positive and focused on solutions. Given that children are undoubtedly our most precious asset, debating their welfare, protection and development should be a priority in this House. I therefore very much welcome this debate.

As other speakers have stated, the reality for many families is that both parents must go out to work and the cost of child care is therefore unavoidable. The child care sector is not homogenous. People use a variety of informal arrangements. These include arrangements with grandparents, friends and childminders. There is also the regulated sector. People are using a combination of these options.

The area requires urgent attention. The introduction of the free preschool year in 2010 has been transformative. It means that the resources are guaranteed to be going to the child. This is a much better way of spending the annual net benefit of approximately €2,500 per annum rather than, for example, by increasing child benefit by that amount. It ensures that before going to school, every child undergoes a standardised curriculum for one year. This is one of the key benefits. For that year, every child is treated equally. We must listen to the sector on the issues surrounding the free preschool year and the capitation rate as we seek to move towards expanding the year to, it is hoped, a second full year. Expanding this hugely successful scheme into a second full year must be our objective.

The right place to start is with children who have special needs. Currently these children are often denied the opportunity of availing of the free preschool year. The reality faced by their parents is that many children with special needs are not able to attend a mainstream preschool class. Alternatives are available, such as a home tuition grant. There may also be a place available in a dedicated preschool for children with special needs. However, when people avail of home tuition, the home tutor may accompany the child with special needs to a mainstream preschool place but the parents must pay for the place. The parents will only get the support once from the State in the form of home tuition. This is a very real issue for parents with children with special needs and it should be attended to urgently.

As highlighted by Deputy Troy, the community child care subvention programme is vitally important. Access to this subvention programme is very uneven and patchy. I have come across cases where mothers, in particular, in low-income households were hoping to go back to work but were unable to do so because of the cost of child care and the lack of a place in a preschool where a subvention was available. This issue must be addressed. A person's address should not determine whether he or she has access to a subsidised child care place. It should be determined by a person's income and his or her ability to pay. This is where we need to move to in that regard.

Staff working in the sector do an extremely difficult job. I am sure they work harder than any Deputy in this House. They are doing important work for all of us as parents. When one considers the role they play in protecting and minding our children, their pay is paltry. The responsibility they face day to day is immense and they should be awarded appropriately. This issue needs to be addressed.

Deputy Maloney touched on the possible unfairness of going down the road of a tax credit. There must be a multi-pronged approach to the issue of child care costs. We must help people on low incomes who are seeking to get back into the workforce by providing subsidised child care. We must also consider the person, the mother in particular, who has a good job and an income of €40,000 or €50,000 but who faces child care costs of €1,000 per month. This is €12,000 per year. If on the higher rate of tax, she will have to earn double this amount. She will need to earn €24,000 per year to pay for child care. The supports we introduce and the way we reform the system cannot exclude this large swathe of people in middle-income Ireland. These people invariably have the largest mortgages as well. These people cannot be excluded from the supports being made available. I do not see a better way to support them in terms of the child care costs they face than through the tax system.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I commend Deputy Troy on placing this important motion before the House. The motion is important for a number of reasons. It is solutions-based. It highlights areas which must be addressed in the years ahead and it comes up with imaginative ideas to do this. All these things are resource dependent, but we must prioritise our children.

We cannot look at child care in isolation. We must look at the societal impact it has and the reasons families are on a consistent treadmill of paying bills and meeting mortgage repayments. Two people in the family are being forced to work. In all of this, we need to talk about choice. Families should be able to make choices which are in its best interests as a family. If a parent wishes to stay at home, society should be structured in a way that will allow this to happen. Many people wish to give as much time as they can in the home.

Inflationary policies on housing which have been pursued for many years and which are being continued must be addressed. This is the kernel of all the problems. People are slaves to bricks and mortar. They are committed to a mortgage for 25 years. A huge portion of their income is going towards putting a roof over their heads. To fund the mortgage, two people must work. They then find themselves in a child care trap. They have to afford both child care and a mortgage. As a society, we need to have an open debate and examine how we address the issue of people being akin to slaves to a system which does not benefit parents, children or broader society or us collectively as a nation. We must address this key area.

Professor Honohan of the Central Bank came forward with proposals with regard to putting the brakes on the inflationary pressures in the housing market. Anything which brings this about is welcome. However, there are also downsides to what was proposed, for instance, for first-time buyers trying to get on the property ladder. However, the broader issue is that everyone pursues inflationary policies of expensive houses. We have to look at this issue. We are a population of 4.3 million. We are not a densely populated country. There is lots of space available. We must try to adjust our housing policy to ensure that people have more of their disposable income to invest in their children, education and time with each other. As time goes on, this will benefit society. The idea that children have to be dragged out of bed at 6 o'clock in the morning and herded into the back of a car to be dropped off at child care in darkness with rain hopping off their heads, not to be seen by their parents again until 6 o'clock or 7 o'clock in the evening, cannot be good for parents, children or society.

Deputy Troy has come up with various proposals, relating for example to a second free preschool year, tax credits and supports for the community child care subvention schemes, to try to address this issue. All of this results from another obvious problem. The key problem that is forcing parents into the perpetual treadmill-racing they have to do is that it costs too much to buy a house in this country. They have to pay a mortgage on their house and another mortgage to put their children into child care. This must be addressed so that parents can choose between continuing to develop themselves in the professional environment of the workplace and staying at home. That needs to be an affordable option as well. I honestly believe what we are doing to the children of this country at present will almost be a scar on our society in the years ahead. It is simply wrong in many ways. We need to rebalance and refocus in this regard.

As there are 23,000 people working in child care, which is the subject of this motion, it can be said to be an industry in itself. Much of it is regulated. Obviously, child care is provided to a large proportion of children in the unregulated sector. I refer, for example, to children who are dropped down to a neighbour in return for a bit of cash at the end of the week. We all know that these things happen in society because people have to make the choices that are in their own best interests. I think the introduction of a second free preschool year would be a major step towards alleviating the financial and other pressures that are faced by families. As Deputy Michael McGrath said, the provision of a child care place is a direct support for the child and a step towards the formal education process. There should be a more seamless transition from preschool to the formal educational setting of school itself. While this obviously depends on resources, it should be a priority. We cannot put this issue on the long finger or kick the can down the road in this regard. Today's children are the young adults of tomorrow. That is the continuum through life. The impact of early childhood supports is clear for everybody to see in the statistics and empirical evidence from surveys and studies of human behaviour. I have already referred to two cohorts of people. Many people are funding huge mortgages because they had no choice. They were coming of an age when they had to buy a house and that was basically it. It was not as if they wanted a swanky verandah and a jacuzzi. They just needed a house, but it was a very expensive house. They had no choice.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I agree.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister of State lives in the commuter belt, he should know about the pressures that families are clearly under. We have to address another cohort of people as well. I refer to people in the lower income brackets who are in a trap. We are talking about giving people choices that allow them to develop professionally. The difficulty for women, in particular, who want to go back into the workplace is that the prohibitive cost of child care is preventing them from doing so. We need to streamline the community child care subvention scheme and ensure it is nationally available so that people can go back into the workplace. Opportunities will increase as the economy picks up and there is a demand for people to come into employment. That is a key area for people who are on low pay and are continuing to face the trap to which I refer. Our efforts have to be directed and targeted at such people. The two cohorts I have mentioned need to be addressed for differing reasons. I have spoken about people with huge mortgages, who need to get on the treadmill at 6 a.m. every day, dropping kids at crèches all over the place across the countryside, in order to fund those mortgages. I have also referred to those who need support to get out of the trap that is preventing them from going from welfare to work and for whom the cost of child care is prohibitive.

We have to prioritise this issue. I know there is always huge pressure on budgets, finances and Government expenditure in general. This would not just be an investment for today - it would be an investment for tomorrow and for the generations ahead. I have mentioned the evidence-based research which shows that early interventions and supports are good for individuals, for families and collectively for the country as a whole. Regardless of whether this motion is agreed or rejected, at least it has brought some solution-based ideas to the floor of the Dáil for discussion. We cannot allow this issue to slide off the agenda. When we talk about the economy, growth and employment, we must also take account of societal issues and the impact of policies on the development of individuals and collectively. That debate is being lost at present because there is a consistent focus on the latest OECD figures and Exchequer returns etc. We need to keep a focus on where we prioritise our resources. Certainly, the extension of the free preschool year and the community child care subvention scheme is critical in the context of child care. They relate to two areas where people are trapped. People on low incomes are unable to move from welfare to work. People are funding exorbitant mortgages through no fault of their own because they simply want to put a roof over their head. I commend the motion. I hope the Minister looks on what we have proposed in a favourable way. I hope our proposals will be taken into account in the context of framing future budgets.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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This is an opportune time to have a detailed debate on the further development of the child care sector. I commend our party spokesperson, Deputy Troy, on the very considered, comprehensive and positive Private Members' motion that is before us. The motion encompasses all aspects of child care. It emphasises the importance and value of the sector, the commitment of the child care providers and their staff, the willingness of the vast majority of employees to participate in upskilling - continuous education, in effect - and the welcome development over the past 16 to 17 years, in particular, of modern facilities in urban and rural areas throughout the country. The motion refers to the welcome mix of community, public and private provision in 4,300 centres across the State and rightly and accurately reflects the serious concerns of many families about the high level of child care costs.

I am familiar with this sector, particularly in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. I am aware of the concerns of people in the private and community sectors. Fortunately, there is a good mix in the model of provision in my constituency. Good leadership has been shown in many communities throughout the country to source public funding to develop child care facilities. This development is complementary to the development of facilities by private providers. There was very little child care provision in my own county right up to the early 2000s. Indeed, the number of child care facilities that existed in the county until greater investment was made from the late 1990s onwards could be very quickly counted. In many communities where there was no private provision, good community activists, predominantly women, worked very hard to ensure they were in a position to draw down good State funding to develop the most modern facilities. I am sure Deputies on all sides of the House had an opportunity to work with many of those groups. I was very glad to have such an opportunity. Excellent work was done in many areas. In my constituency, I had the privilege of working with groups which sourced funding under the community sector provision in many areas, including Bailieborough, Cootehill, Ballyjamesduff and Belturbet in County Cavan and Scotstown, Latton and Carrickmacross in County Monaghan. I recently visited the child care centre in Tullacmongan resource centre in Cavan town.

I met its board of management, its day-to-day management and its staff. I have been familiar with the project since its inception. Many of the people I met that evening had been there from the start when they set about sourcing a site and public funding to develop the facility. They show the same enthusiasm today for ensuring that the best possible care is provided to the children attending the centre.

The centre is in the heart of a large local authority estate in Cavan town. It is run excellently, has committed staff and provides a range of child care services, including full day care and afterschool provision. The project was spearheaded by a former local councillor, Ms Patricia Walsh, a committed and diligent worker in the community. Along with many others, predominantly women, she has given great leadership by ensuring an excellent service. Having attended county child care awards events, I have seen many of the staff obtaining further FETAC certifications each year. Surely those who gain extra skills deserve proper remuneration for their work. They participate on courses on what is practically an ongoing basis. They have shown commitment, hard work and diligence.

We need further investment in early childhood care and education, ECCE. Our party spokesperson and other colleagues outlined the substantial burden that has been placed on many families. They need extra financial support, as does the sector. Many private and community facilities will find it difficult to remain viable if additional financial support is not provided.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am sorry, Deputy, but we are over time.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, has welcomed the opportunity to address the concerns raised by Deputies and to outline in detail the many positive developments in the provision of preschool care and education. I echo his words and thank Deputies for their contributions.

Access to affordable and high-quality child care is an important issue for parents, particularly where both parents participate in the workforce. As a number of colleagues have mentioned, it is also important for those stuck with high mortgages. Indeed, they are very high where I live in County Meath, Navan and the towns in the Dublin region. However, it is not the case that people are slaves to bricks and mortars. I was surprised by Deputy Kelleher's comment. Rather, they are stuck with high mortgages because a previous Government failed them. That Government was a slave to bad planning and development and could not resist the high taxes to be gained from construction.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Who was in charge of the local authorities?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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That is why people have high mortgages hanging around them.

To assist parents with the cost of child care, more than €250 million is provided each year by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Every Deputy agrees that this is not nearly enough and everyone would like to see more, but the money is just not there. Maintaining the current level has been difficult in light of the budgetary pressures that have prevailed in each of the past four years, but it has been. We know why the budgets are under pressure - other Governments did not do their jobs properly.

To address the needs of parents returning to the workforce, a number of labour activation measures have been introduced by the Minister, Deputy Reilly's Department in collaboration with the Minister for Social Protection. These are key measures at this time, given the substantial rebound in the economy and improved employment opportunities. The afterschool programme, for example, means that parents of school-going children taking up employment are able to avail of affordable care for that crucial period after school ends and before the working day concludes. It is also fair to say that, without the Government's firm commitment in supporting the child care sector, many child care services would not have been sustainable and many jobs would have been lost across the sector in recent years.

The issue of affordability is a still a major worry for many parents. There are calls, including from the Association of Childhood Professionals, for an increase in State investment. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, favours further investment when resources become available. It is not a case of letting the issue slide. In fact, the Minister has emphasised that future investment in child care must be evidence-based and strategically co-ordinated. It is for this reason that he has established an interdepartmental group to develop a whole-of-Government approach to future child care investment. It is to report in a number of months and will include representation from my Department, which works closely with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on issues relating to early years.

The commitment to improving the quality of ECCE for all children has been a key focus of the Departments of Education and Skills and Children and Youth Affairs for a number of years through successive Governments. We will continue that commitment. The quality and curriculum frameworks for children aged nought to six years of age, Síolta agus Aistear, were developed under the remit of my Department and are regarded internationally as high-quality frameworks to underpin working with children. A comprehensive preschool quality agenda that aims to improve quality standards in preschool services is being progressed and number of key areas have been identified as requiring urgent reform.

The recent decision to introduce education-focused inspections to examine the quality of educational provision in early childhood settings that provide the free preschool year is a positive development. The opportunity for child care to engage with inspectors who have expertise in the area of early childhood education will contribute significantly to improving the quality of the learning experience for young children. Everyone has referred to the quality. It is essential. This development will complement the decision to appoint 30 graduates in ECCE, who will work directly with services to improve quality in the provision of quality child care services. Every Deputy agrees that it is a question of how best to improve quality.

Deputy Troy has received many compliments on the solutions the motion has suggested. They are worthy and many of us like them, but Fianna Fáil is proposing significant increases in spending because the proposals require money. Indeed, Fianna Fáil's proposals go far beyond what it was prepared to spend while in government. As is always the case, it does not mention from where the money will come. I examined Fianna Fáil's pre-budget submission. The party's call to increase investment to the OECD average would cost approximately €450 million extra each year. A second free preschool year would cost approximately €175 million. The proposals on the community child care subvention scheme would cost a further €150 million. If we include the tax relief for which Fianna Fáil is also calling and which evidence shows does not reduce costs to parents or increase pay to staff, we will not be far short of €1 billion in extra spending. This would have been difficult in the midst of the Celtic tiger and Fianna Fáil convinced us that there was an endless pot of cash to spend. Of course, that was just an illusion.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Fine Gael was promising more than us at the previous elections.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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What about the road tax?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Fianna Fáil did not know how to manage the finances when it was in power and has certainly not learned its lesson. It can still not explain how it would pay for the additional spending being proposed.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am sorry, but we are over time.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I agree with some of the proposals and they would be nice if we had money for them, but Fianna Fáil cannot back them up. In contrast, this Government wants a considered, coherent, whole-of-Government approach to investment in child care and is taking action to ensure that outcome and that we achieve the quality we need.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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How is that new hospital in the north east going? Is it going out of business?

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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How did the Deputy's meeting go? Is that next week?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Do not take up Deputy McConalogue's time, please. The clock is ticking.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I support Deputy Troy's motion. As the Minister of State pointed out, the motion proposes solutions and a clear direction to take if we are to address the issues with child care provision, including its cost.

An in-depth study was commissioned by Donegal County Childcare Committee Limited, DCCC, and conducted by Indecon. According to that research, the economic benefit of every €1 spent by the Government on introducing and supporting child care is €1.17. Although initial funding would need to be provided, the knock-on effects in the economy would be worthwhile.

The cost to a family of having two children in child care is estimated to be approximately €16,500. Be it a one or two-parent family, this presents a barrier to continuing in the workforce for one parent. That €16,500 after tax is above many people's total income. It is no wonder that costs have led to many parents choosing who will give up work and stay at home against his or her wishes. For single-parent families, working is not even an option in the majority of cases.

The suggestions put forward by Deputy Troy on the need for tax credits to assist in reducing that cost are the way forward.

As regards current preschool services that are available, including child care places, it is important to note the impact made as a result of the introduction of a free preschool year by the previous Government. That has made a real difference not only in assisting families with child care, but also in progressing child development and starting a child's education early. Primary schoolteachers say it has made a real difference to pupils when they enter the primary school system. That emphasises the point that further investment in preschool services makes a lot of sense. Research evidence proves that the earlier one provides education to children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the higher the impact on them. It leads to a reduction in later interventions in those children's lives. It therefore makes a lot of sense not just to provide further assistance to families through child care, but also to invest in quality preschool services. That will ensure that children will get a better start earlier than has been the case in the past.

We should put in place a programme to upskill those working in the early childhood education sector. It is a nascent sector which has developed quickly over the past three to four years. To a large extent, qualifications among the workforce are at the lower level, so a lot of investment in education needs to be made in developing that situation. There is a curriculum in Aistear and a quality programme in Síolta into which the Department should put more resources. A key element is to assist child care providers by providing a further education and training programme to those working in the sector. That would bear fruit with real development and progress being made in this area.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Members from across the House for contributing to the debate on this critically important issue. I apologise for missing some of the debate last night, but I had an opportunity to look over the contributions in the Official Report today. I am glad that Fianna Fáil used its Private Members' time to ensure, for only the second time in the lifetime of this Government, a substantial debate on this issue.

I am conscious that the Private Members' motion calls for a lot. I would not expect any government, nor would it be possible for it to do so, to implement all the policies at once. The 0.7% of GDP includes the cost of the second preschool year and extending the community child care supplement. I am not asking for those things in addition because they are included. Having said that, however, it is a lot of money.

This motion outlines our aspirations for the child care sector, which could be dealt with incrementally. It is disappointing to listen to some Government Deputies - not all of them because some were positive - condemning us for seeking to prioritise additional investment in this area. In the absence of the publication of the early years strategy, something this Government promised in 2012, we do not know how the Government wishes to see this crucial area being developed in the coming years.

I was amazed that last night, after four years in office, the Minister said it is crucial to develop a coherent whole-of-government approach to investment in child care services. I thought one of the advantages of having a senior Minister with this responsibility at the Cabinet table was to ensure that there would always would be a whole-of-government approach. We know this approach is not working, however, because the CSO figures published some weeks ago said that the number of children living in consistent poverty had risen from 10% in 2012 to 12% in 2014.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Shocking.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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They are children who are going to bed cold and hungry. We also know that the number of people living in deprivation has increased from 13.7% in 2008 to 30.5% in 2014. That is clear evidence that this Government's policies are not working and that it does not have a joined-up approach.

Last year, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, launched a report recommending that maternity benefit be extended to one year. The following week, however, the Cabinet chose to tax maternity benefit, so where is the joined-up thinking? Where better for a child to spend the first year of their life than at home? We should consider introducing maternity benefit incrementally up to 12 months.

We witnessed another lack of a co-ordinated approach when the Government launched a vicious attack on lone parents. When announcing the changes, the Tánaiste, Deputy Burton, said they would not proceed without a full Scandinavian model that was bankable. Instead, we got an after-school scheme. I am surprised the Minister had the audacity to mention that in his speech last night. That scheme talked about creating 6,000 places, but after 18 months in operation the take-up is less than 5%. It has been an abysmal scheme which does not work.

Changes to the lone parent's allowance went ahead none the less. Those who have been hit hardest are those who choose to work. Meanwhile, the allowance for lone parents who cannot obtain work and for whom social welfare is their only source of income stays the same. People who have the incentive and drive to go to work are hardest hit, and I do not think that is fair.

The Minister said it is a well-known fact that the cost of child care is like a second mortgage. He said that is why the Government is taking it so seriously. In his amendment to the motion, however, the Minister did not produce one proposal to address child care affordability. After four years in office, the Government has decided to establish an interdepartmental group to look at affordability. That group will not report back for at least six months, which is four or five months before a general election. Then the Government will say that although it has done nothing in this area for the past five years, if re-elected, it will look at doing something in the area in the next five years. Nobody will believe the promise of the Minister, Deputy Reilly, in that regard.

In last night's debate, the Minister seemed to dismiss the notion of tax credits for families without stating his preferred option. Only four weeks ago, the Irish Independenthad a front page spread on how the Government was introducing tax credits. The newspaper did not pick that story off the ground. In my opinion, that information was leaked to it by the Department. Where is the plan now, however, and what will the Government do for middle-income earners? They are the people who get up at 6.30 every morning, or earlier, and leave their children in day care for 12 hours. They return at the end of the week jaded and no better off financially. What is this Government going to do for those people?

Another cohort of people comprises the most marginalised in society. The community child care supplement scheme, which is there to help them, is restricted. It is only available in one third of our service providers. What about children from less well-off families where there is no community setting? There are no proposals to deal with them.

Some Government policies in recent years have contributed to the cost of running child care services. A memo was sent from a service provider in County Longford advertising an increase in fees.

The first reason given for this increase was that up until 2011 commercial rates did not apply, but the crèche is now subject to a substantial annual rates bill. The second reason was the introduction of commercial water rates last year. The third was that the introduction of the free preschool year under the ECCE scheme had resulted in a reduction in capitation in the past two years. The fourth was that the increase in employers' PRSI had given rise to a substantial bill in 2014. Every one of the increases to which I refer was a direct consequence of Government policy.

No mention has been made of the eight-point plan. The Minister completely failed to speak of it. I am not surprised, because not one of the eight points contained in that plan has been implemented in full. This is despite the fact that two years have passed since the plan was first announced. We are still awaiting publication of the new regulations and despite the enactment - with cross-party support - of the relevant legislation in January 2014, the new registration process still has not been put in place.

The 24,000 people who work in the area of child care provide an invaluable service. These are individuals to whom we entrust the care and education of our children. Last night the Minister acknowledged the considerable contribution of child care providers and their staff to the provision of high-quality services. I am sure they welcome that acknowledgement. Later, however, the Minister abdicated his responsibility when he stated "pay levels and conditions of employment are ultimately matters for the management of these services." He forgets that the main contract for these services rests with the State. If we want a high-quality service, then we must ensure that adequate funding is provided. It is necessary to have high-quality staff in order to ensure a high-quality service. At the very minimum, the Government must confirm that the pay of those who work in the area of child care will be considered by the commission on low pay. If we want a graduate-led workforce, then we must ensure its members are properly paid.

My final point relates to special needs education. The Minister's statement to the effect that "the Health Service Executive, where possible, provides additional supports to children with special needs to enable them to avail of preschool services" was simply awful. It must be remembered that he is a former Minister for Health. What about equal opportunities for all? Children with special educational needs are being placed at a clear disadvantage and the Government has failed to acknowledge that fact. This matter is bounced around among the Departments of Health, Children and Youth Affairs and Education and Skills. No one Department is taking proper responsibility for those with special educational needs. The position in this regard must change. There is empirical evidence which confirms that investment in the early years ensures the best return not only for children but also for their families and for society in general.

I again commend the motion to the House.