Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I agree with the Minister that child care is a huge issue for working parents today and needs to be tackled. It is unfair of the Minister to pick on the observation made by Senator O'Meara that we are "coming from nothing". We do not need to remind the Minister that times have changed. Many more women and mothers work today than did in 1997. Although there were difficulties in 1997, many child care providers who were in business in 1997 have been obliged to go out of business since, as I was myself. I used to run a playschool at one time but with increased regulation and other complications that arose, like many other women I left the business. Services were more affordable in those days and most of the children who came to my playgroup were from homes in which only one person worked. Cost was not then such a major issue. The issue now is that child care costs rather than supply have increased in the meantime. The Minister was unfair to pick up on the point.

Many more women are in the workforce today and Ireland is close to the EU average of 56%, an increase of 140% since 1971. The number of women in the workforce is expected to grow by 218,000 by 2011. We have a rapidly changing society with a well educated workforce in which women tend to be as well educated as men. Some women wish to continue working while others want to spend more time at home. In a recent survey of parents, 62% of mothers and 86% of fathers stated they wanted to spend more time at home with their children. In 1997, in many cases, both parents were not obliged to go out to work. Today, however, the cost of a mortgage for young families dictates that both parents must work and a very high percentage of their income is spent on child care. Anything up to 32%, and sometimes more, goes on child care costs. If one combines that with the cost of a mortgage, some people have little disposable income left over.

I wish to draw Members' attention to some statistics from a report on the issue published by ICTU. It states that of approximately 500 respondents who took part in a survey, 25% had not applied for promotional opportunities because of child-minding responsibilities. Of those stating they had not applied for promotional opportunities for this reason, 90% were female. Other effects of child-minding responsibilities included leaving the labour force altogether for a period or moving out of an urban area due to child care costs.

All of us, probably the Minister included, accept that responsibility for child care still falls primarily on the mother. An increasing number of mothers avail of work practices that allow shorter working hours, be it flexi-time, shift work or job-sharing. As this survey demonstrated, mothers tend not to apply for promotional opportunities or leave the workforce altogether. There is a huge demand for supply. I do not agree with the Minister that child benefit is the best way to deal with child care costs. The money available in child care is very good. While the Government has failed in its promise concerning the amount of child care support that was to be paid out by 2005——