Alex White (Labour)

I thank the Leader for providing us with a note on what I understand to be legislation which will be introduced in the Houses next week. It is a note for the Government meeting this week. I repeat what was stated by many colleagues in December with regard to the health legislation. It is not satisfactory in any parliament for legislation to be published and go through all Stages in both Houses in one week. We are not afforded sufficient opportunity and time and I do not mean late night sittings. I mean the time between the publication of a Bill and its final promulgation. A parliament debating its relevance should not be asked to consider legislation sight unseen within a week. It still has not been published and all we have is a summary. When will it be published?

As I have done previously and as others have done also, I call for a comprehensive debate on child care. We had a debate on the subvention scheme prior to Christmas. I want to discuss the wider question of child care. What is this country's child care policy? It comprises two or three elements, the subvention scheme, the early child care supplement of €1,100 and an excessive concentration on buildings and places rather than monitoring quality.

Child care is about children and ought to be child centred. We are way behind other countries in terms of our commitment, funding and attention to a real and comprehensive child care policy and system. Even the Government of Scotland has made major advances in recent months and years in putting in place a comprehensive system. What type of child care policy should we have? Who should pay for it? Should it be available universally? Should it be subsidised and if so, who should receive a subsidy? How should this be done?

We need a proper debate in this House and not simply have the Minister come in, important though this is, and give us lists of figures and places. Let us have a debate about what vision we have for child care. We have had at least ten years of prosperity. Working patterns of families have changed completely and they have to muddle through when it comes to child care provision. Let us have a visionary debate and not an element of self-congratulation by way of a ministerial speech. This House should ask what type of system we think we want and how we want to fund it. This would allow us to do what we should be doing as parliamentarians and offer people a vision of what the future could be like.