Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

While debating child care two weeks after a similar debate is welcome, and I am delighted Senator O'Meara tabled the motion, the sad aspect of Private Members' motions is the issues become political footballs. It is important for us once and for all to say our children and the future of child care will not be a political football. Perhaps I am naive, foolish and stupid but looking after our children and the future of the country is the most important element of our jobs. It does not matter which side of the divide we are on because each of us has an equal responsibility to do our best in this area.

I regret the political point scoring earlier in the debate for that reason. I was sitting in my office and I will not repeat the words I uttered when I heard a number of the comments made. I was upset and annoyed. It is not fair to measure provision now against that a few years ago. This is a different era but a great deal has been done. The Minister of State is correct that child benefit has increased fourfold and quality services have been provided, including 20,000 new places with 16,000 under construction. However, a line needs to be drawn in the sand because a sea change has taken place in recent weeks following the publication of accounts of Cabinet discussions. If the information is emerging because of the by-elections, I am delighted.

We have been talking about this issue for the past number of years and are sick of listening to ourselves. However, Ministers are beginning to listen. It was interesting that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs acknowledged yesterday that child benefit was not the solution the Government thought it would be. Child benefit and the equal opportunities child care programme are fantastic but they are not solving the problem. This has been admitted and it is like attending AA and saying, "My name is Margaret Cox. I am a Fianna Fáil politician and we still have not solved child care". That is a major relief and we can begin to do something.

Recently, the Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform mentioned payments to people looking after children in their homes and I can claim a little credit for raising this issue in the House. The payment for child care should be disregarded, as this gives recognition to the value of the work being done by the person looking after children in the home. Caring for children should be on a par with renting a room in terms of reliefs. I am delighted the ball is beginning to roll.

I am also delighted the Minister for Social and Family Affairs referred to the need for a two-tier child benefits system to address the child care needs of the disadvantaged while also recognising the universality of child benefit and the importance of not touching it. The cost of child care is a complex issue, which needs complex solutions. During the last debate on this issue, Senator Henry referred to child care provision in France while Senator Browne made a similar reference earlier. I am horrified at the prospect of putting my two year old on a bus to a large school to be looked after, no matter how nice are the carers. The French model is not the answer. A number of the issues may be addressed and an improvement would be wonderful. However, let us not reach a point where two and three year old children are put on buses to attend a nursery before taking up child care places. That is not the Ireland of 2005 and, if it is, I do not want it. I want to go home and forget about the Celtic tiger. I want to give my children the same upbringing all of us were lucky to have.

There are lessons to be learned from other countries but not every idea should be taken on board. Perhaps I might go back and put on the record of this House once again my view that parental leave is very beneficial, but it must be paid leave. We must put it on the agenda now. We can forget about it if we are not going to introduce paid leave in some form within the next two years, as it will be of no benefit to anyone.

We are also talking about solutions. People mentioned part-time work. I wish they would stop talking about "mothers" and start talking about "parents". I am sick and tired of "the mothers"; I want it to be "the parents". It is as much the father's responsibility as that of the mother. We need part-time work, job sharing and incentives directed in particular at smaller organisations to facilitate their putting such options and incentives in place. We must acknowledge the difference it makes to families — mums and dads, whichever of them chooses to stay at home.

We cannot allow for periods of parental leave for one year without an economy that sustains it. Senator McCarthy is right that we may need it for a year for everyone, but we must have an economy that matches and provides for the cost. An economy that provides for such benefits or choices must be strong. For that to happen, we must protect the small and medium-sized businesses about which we talked. In the Small Firms Association magazine, Running Your Business, there is an article by Pat Delaney reviewing the last ten years. Perhaps I might quote one paragraph. It states:

There is little point in having a world class economic model if our social model cannot keep pace. Our work life balance must not be further skewed because of an under supply of suitable, affordable childcare provision, traffic congestion, inadequate health and education systems. The availability of high quality, flexible and affordable childcare must be given equal priority as the improvements of hard infrastructure such as roads and public transport. Lack of choice in childcare provision and childcare costs remains one of the most significant barriers to female participation in the labour market.

I would also like to quote from another article from Equality News regarding a study carried out in four countries on the work-life balance of parents. It addresses the issue of creating a more favourable work environment. The article states:

Attitudes towards working parents who availed of work-family programmes were also explored. In relation to Ireland, relatively speaking, there were more negative perceptions towards people who participate in family friendly programmes. Both men and women who worked part-time or job shared were seen as less serious about their career, but this feeling was stronger vis-À-vis men. There is also a greater sense of pressure on employees in Ireland to work over and above normal hours to get ahead, adding to problems in achieving work-life balance. In this climate, it will be more difficult to promote family friendly working arrangements and a greater share of gender roles unless there is attitude change.

That is our responsibility — the soft, fluffy stuff. There must be an overall, global approach from the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children, and Education and Science.