Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

The question of what is best for the child should be asked. We should work around that concept and provide the best possible care for that child. If that means helping the parents, or one of the parents, to remain at home, we should do so. If it means that the parents have to work, we should look after the parents to enable them to deliver what is best for the child.

I may be attacked for this statement, but I believe the child is best looked after at home for at least the first year of its life. The Government should act on this, providing such a choice for parents. If a mother or father, as in SenatorTuffy's case, chooses to stay at home, it should be facilitated. First, however, we should look after the mother who has given birth to the child. We should extend the maternity leave and, following from this, the parental leave. The parental leave should be made paid leave. The provision of parental leave up until now is only available for well-off parents. The less well-off cannot afford to take unpaid parental leave. I would like to see the Government bring forward a package that would allow a parent to stay at home for the first year of a child's life. Such a provision may not come about in the next budget, as it would have to be brought in incrementally.