Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to respond to the debate. I thank Members on all sides for their contributions. In particular, I am delighted we have a child care programme to debate. As I said in my earlier contribution we are speaking about an important section of society, namely, the leaders and pillars of future society. However, I omitted to mention earlier the issue of responsibility. In the first instance, parents have responsibility for their children. That is an issue that has to be borne in mind. An issue I have raised ad nauseam in public life is that young children, de facto teeny boppers, are on the streets of our towns and cities at all hours of the night. When people of that tender age fall into the hands of the proverbial Fagins of Dickensian fame there are no marks for guessing what they get up to. It is a fact that children of a young age are involved in drug dealing in certain areas and that is a worrying factor.

The measures that have been provided in the budget and that have been discussed here today are of particular importance. Apart from helping the family in an overall sense, it gives an important section of society, namely women, an improved role. As a result of what was the tradition up to 25 years ago when women in professions and others areas, my wife being one, decided to marry they had to vacate their positions. While that position has been reversed in the interim there is an issue that has to be corrected for people of that time. I appreciate that the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, have accepted that wrongs have been done but that is a debate for another day.

I am delighted that this motion on child care is before the House and that we have debated it. Some worthy comments and proposals have been made. I would remind the Opposition that jealousy will get it nowhere. It is this Government that has done the job and will continue to do it. I revert to some of the comments made by colleague, Senator Mooney, pertaining to what is available in his county. That is a prime example of what can be done in the area of child care. There is also the whole area of child abuse. While we debated that issue in the debate on the Ferns Report, as elected Members and as citizens we must cast ourselves in the role of the nosey neighbour if we have the slightest hint of suspicion that a child is being abused.