Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

As Senator O'Meara is aware, requirements have been imposed on planning conditions to build child care facilities per a certain number of houses. This has led to circumstances where there are, on occasion, too many child care facilities located in one area while none are located in another. There are also questions in regard to the negotiations which take place between officials and developers about the development of child care facilities and when the requirement can, on occasion, be waived in favour of alternative contributions or approaches. We need a standardised approach to this because as Senators and Deputies have pointed out for some time, there is national need and the forward planning by local authorities must meet and accommodate it. That is why we intend to organise a major conference with local government officials to see how we can progress this forward.

One cannot transfer responsibility in this area to a Minister with responsibility for children. It necessarily involves the proper physical planning and development of the country and it is germane to the functions of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

I note the motion welcomed the new early child care supplement of €1,000 per annum which is being introduced in respect of all children under six years of age with effect from April 2006. This will be a direct, non-taxable payment of €250 paid per quarter year in respect of each eligible child. The payment is intended to assist parents with the high cost of caring for children, especially in their early years. As will be appreciated, it will take some time to set the administrative arrangements in place for these payments but all parents eligible for these payments can expect to receive the three payments due in 2006.

The early child care supplement makes no distinction as to the income or employment status of parents, and this is deliberate. Some might be critical of this feature but the Government believes it is right that parents should have choice when it comes to child care. It is not the role of the State to tell parents which child care arrangements are best suited to their families — rather it is for the State to support them in any such arrangements that are appropriate.

A trend which has worried me in the recent child care debate has been the attempt by some to pit one group of parents against another, which is wrong. Parents, whether they work to support their families while paying for child care or stay at home to mind their children, each in their own way are doing their best for their families and we should not be privileging one set of parents over the other. Both have made sacrifices for their children and in both cases, it is appropriate for the State to offer a contribution towards the costs they incur as a result.

This week Fine Gael attacked the applicability of the payment to those EU migrants working here and paying Irish taxes while supporting their pre-school children in their home country. This is despite the fact that Irish workers have benefited from similar payments in European Union countries over the years — not only child benefit-type schemes but also payments made explicitly towards the childminding costs of children. This is a requirement under European Union regulations and benefits our citizens employed throughout the EU. Indeed, other European Union countries have made savings as a result of those children remaining in Ireland as we pay for their health and education costs. Of course, we make similar savings when EU migrants support their children back in their home country.