Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I am delighted money has been allocated for 50,000 new child care places in the Estimates. It is important that child care providers are made aware of the plan and know where the places will be created. We cannot just put up the money for these places without a proper plan for its allocation. Different areas of the country have different needs with respect to the number of child care places required. We need a clear, transparent plan with regard to how the 50,000 places will be delivered and implemented. As a business person I know a plan is irrelevant unless it can be delivered and that implementation is far more important than the paper plan. One must be also able to deliver. The €1,000 child care supplement is of tremendous help to parents, but I propose that the Government increase that for every child under six to €1,250 in the 2008 budget and €1,500 in the 2009 budget. We must maintain the rate of progress and help parents with the cost of child care, which everyone knows is very expensive. Another area is our standard of living. Child care and ageism are the two main areas on which I concentrate as a Senator. Perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, might persuade the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, that mandatory retirement at the age of 65 must go, as I proposed in my document, A New Approach to Ageing and Ageism.