Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

——and the Government the opportunity to drive home the message that we are not reactive but proactive in our approach to this issue. The proof of that was contained in the Minister's contribution. Those are facts. There are many schools of thought on this issue, even within the ranks of the Senators opposite, as to whether this should be approached by way of child benefit or tax credit. That question is asked even within our ranks. Nobody has the absolute approach, neither the Government nor the Opposition, and no one should take credit for this issue. As Senator Cox said earlier, no one should play politics with it because none of us wants that for our children.

Tonight we are discussing how best we can get quality child care at affordable cost. We may not have it yet but a welcome aspect of the Government's policy is that it wants a community-oriented child care service, not the very large crèches where the children appear to be like robots. I might not have experience of child care but I know something about child development from a child psychologist's point of view. There is nothing I dislike more than to see ten, 15 or 20 babies sitting in front of tutors who are giving them mass training in when to sit up and when to sit down instead of dealing with them one to one. I did not get that type child care when I was growing up but I think I did very well out of the care I received. We did not have this so-called marvellous tutor system to tell us what to do when we were one and two years of age.

Small is beautiful. We should have crèches with three or four properly trained adults in a house or in a community facility. I welcome the opportunity of providing training to people in the community who would love to get back into the system and take on that role.

For the past three weeks I have been out canvassing in the afternoons and I have never seen so many empty houses. I hate to think the future of Ireland will consist of factory oriented places with children in crèches and all the parents working. I realise that is the knock-on effect of the Celtic tiger but I worry about our future.