Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I support Senator White's arguments concerning child care. I also support her call for the child care issue to be removed from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. We can see that the equal opportunities child care programme is a sham. Yesterday at the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, it was clear that individuals from around the country who are attempting to run crèches do not know if they will be able to stay open beyond August 2005. These people urgently need to know whether they will be given staffing grants to ensure that children have places in August and that parents will be able to go to work or undertake training after August.

This issue urgently needs to be addressed. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is not seriously addressing this issue, or indeed the entire child care issue. We urgently need a debate and the Minister should come to the House and outline his immediate plans for child care. Child care should be removed from the aegis of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and a separate Department to take care of all child care issues should be established.