Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, to the House. This is the 20th anniversary of the death of Anne Lovett, the 15 year old schoolgirl who died of severe haemorrhaging and exposure after giving birth alone and outdoors. This child was so frightened about her circumstances that she managed, in a small town, to hide her pregnancy from her family and friends, none of whom knew her condition until it was too late. Thankfully, Ireland has come a long way since then and there are now more supports for people like Anne Lovett. For some, however, the supports available are still not enough. The mother of the baby girl who was abandoned last year has still not come forward to claim her. Cases such as this highlight the need for better sex education and public information campaigns to ensure people are aware of organisations such as the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and know they are not alone in their crises. Some mothers do not receive enough support when they have a child. This is certainly a factor in the decisions of more than 6,000 women every year who travel abroad to have abortions.

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency has run a number of advertising campaigns which, I am glad to report, appear to have been successful. I wish the agency every success in future campaigns. This is a positive step and is welcome. I also welcome many of the strategy's recommendations to reduce the number of pregnancies, particularly the recommendation of working in partnership with the Department of Education and Science to strengthen the delivery of relationship and sexuality education. I was disappointed to hear that only half the schools in the State are fully implementing the Department's sex education programme. Although the RSE programme is mandatory, some parents are keeping their children at home on days on which it is taught. Education can be a major factor in the reduction not only of crisis pregnancies but also of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It is vital that we get this message to parents, teachers and, most importantly, children.

Last year The Irish Times published a survey the results of which showed the shocking attitude of many young people towards sex. I will not go into the figures, but the findings shocked many of us. We must face up to the reality that Ireland has changed and we must change with it as legislators. We must also ensure that those who are engaging in sexual activity are aware of matters such as safe sex. The survey proved the need for sex education programmes in schools. There must be improvements in this area. In The Netherlands there has been a coherent sexual health policy since the 1970s and there has been a reduction in the number of teenage pregnancies and abortions there.

I also agree with the strategy's recommendation that contraceptive services be more widely and easily accessible, as this will reduce the number of crisis pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. However, where the Government offers these services I hope it will back them up with funding. Last year the Irish Family Planning Association was forced to suspend its services to women with medical cards for a number of months due to a lack of funding from the health boards. A total of 56% of those attending its clinics were in the 18 to 25 age group, which is the group most at risk of crisis pregnancy. This cannot be allowed to happen again.

There is a need for more support services for women with children, as this could ease the pressure on women who find themselves pregnant. There is a dearth of affordable child care in Ireland. CSO figures for the last quarter of 2002 reveal the crippling cost of child care for many families and, more importantly, lone parents. The average cost ranged from €79.42 per week in the Border region to a staggering €118.96 in Dublin. For families and lone parents with pre-school children only, the average cost was €105.36 per week outside Dublin and €131 in Dublin. The figures also show that the number of lone parents availing of child care facilities is well below the average for two-parent families. The Government is not doing enough in the area of affordable child care. If any efforts are being made in this area, they are not obvious.

The strategy makes a number of sound recommendations for addressing the issue of crisis pregnancies, which I welcome. It considers education, access to contraceptive services and the need for supports for women who find themselves in crisis pregnancy and for women who choose to go ahead with their pregnancies. I am particularly supportive of the research the agency intends to carry out in the area of crisis pregnancies and I look forward to reading the findings and further recommendations. The Crisis Pregnancy Agency must compete with many others for public funding. I call on the Minister to ensure this strategy does not sit on the shelf and to commit to providing annual funding for the agency, whose work and services are so vital to the strategy's success.