Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. I believe we should concentrate on what can be done for children from the time they are born up to the age of six. Where have matters gone wrong? These are the types of questions I was turning over in my mind as I listened to this debate. Conditions have changed dramatically for Irish society in recent years. There is the population increase, the prolonged commuting from satellite towns as well as the enormous economic growth. Taking all that into account we appear to have forgotten how best to manage and provide early childhood care and education for the age cohort, zero to six. This involves dialogue and consultation with the parents and child care providers as well as the various Departments concerned. The Government has been committed on this. We have seen examples through the White Paper on early childhood education and the Early Start programme. There was also a Cabinet sub-committee on children which dealt with all these recommendations.

However, we are still not getting matters right. This is nobody's fault as successive Governments have made attempts through the years. It is crucial, as everyone today has said, to set up one Department, without delay. Within that Department there should, perhaps, be a unit for early child development to deal with how to set out programmes and provide an inspectorate for monitoring them. The question of day-to-day administration in terms of the adult child ratio should be reviewed. How do parents feel about these early programmes? So far in this discussion there has been very little linking with parents, as such. Once parents have a new baby they must decide whether they want to stay at home. If so, they must learn how they may be best facilitated as regards grants, etc. It is crucially important not to overlook the mother who wishes to stay at home. This has not been addressed so far. The debate has focused very much on matters outside the home. I hope the Minister will bear in mind that the mother is the key person to be considered.

The local element is also vitally important. Centres should be kept to link up with the local authorities, for example, through the county development boards. These were very much in evidence when I was a councillor in South County Dublin where areas for local child care crèches were provided for under the county development plans, with the requisite providers and programmes, as necessary. This is an area that needs to be decentralised as much as possible. I would also like to see a reform of the infant class system, as referred to in the NESF report. Perhaps a pre-school programme might be introduced within the infant class system. Two programmes could be established, which would allow children to come to school at three years of age. This needs to be teased out.

Child and family centres should be established to provide an integrated service, particularly in disadvantaged areas, where the Early Start programmes have begun. The concept is very good, but somewhat scrappy. I do not know whether it is meant to have pilot schemes or if they are up and running everywhere.

We need an integrated policy, one Department and to enter into discussion with employers on flexitime and how best to help young mothers. If they want to do a couple of hours in the day perhaps they can work at home. An evaluation and monitoring system is needed within whatever Department is set up. There must be an inspectorate to evaluate what types of programmes are being introduced within the crèches. This is very important. It is not always a question of money, but rather how a proper policy may be implemented. At present it is very fragmented. There are good fundamental points in this discussion and in this report. Let us work on those. A good child care service can be introduced and it is not always about money.