Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I support the calls for a debate on child care but I cannot let Senator O'Meara's comments go unanswered. This Government has been wide awake to the realities of child care and has spent hundreds of millions of euro since the programme was initiated in 1997. My friend and colleague, Senator Cox, raised the issue repeatedly at Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meetings when she was first elected. Several other party members did the same.

The phenomenal expansion of the economy has overwhelmed us. The number of people now at work has increased dramatically and last week it was up by a further 30,000. There are almost 2 million at work compared to 1.1 million less than ten years ago. It is inevitable that a response cannot be as quick as would be desired. I welcome a debate on child care and the report from the National Economic and Social Forum. There are areas that need adjustment but it is neither fair nor accurate to suggest that the Government has not been aware of this issue. The initiatives that have already been put in place and those that are forthcoming will go a long way towards addressing the problem.

I support everything Senator Norris said on immigration. This House was ably represented last week on the lobbying mission to the United States but while there, lobbyists were aware of the Achilles heel of Irish immigration laws. There is probably as great a need for immigration reform in this country as in the United States.