Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on child care and its provision. Before doing so, in addition to welcoming the visiting delegation, I welcome my colleagues, the Ministers of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputies Barry Andrews and John Moloney.

I intend to examine briefly the various issues surrounding the provision of child care services. These include the funding and regulation of services and the provision of these services for children with disabilities. Since coming to office in 1997, the Government has steadily and progressively increased the provision for child care services. It has taken a two-pronged approach to funding. In the first instance, there are increased direct payments to families through the use of the child benefit scheme and the early child care supplement. In tandem, the Government has dramatically increased capital funding through the equal opportunities child care programme and the national child care investment programme. Child benefit has been increased from €38 per child in 1997, when the rainbow coalition Government was in power, to €166 per child in 2008. This represents an increase in excess of 300%, which is far in greater than cumulative inflation over the same period. The increase in funding has contributed to easing the burden on families as the cost of living has increased. It has contributed to the ability of a parent to stay at home and look after the needs of his or her children. It has enabled other parents to meet some of the costs associated with child care, which gives them an opportunity to seek work outside the home.

While the children's allowance provides some finance to meet the costs of child care, which is an acknowledgement of the increasing costs associated with very young children, in the 2006 budget the Government initiated the early child care supplement scheme. The purpose of the supplement is to support parents in meeting the higher costs associated with caring for pre-school children. Initially a payment of €1,000 per annum was allocated but this was increased to €1,100 in the 2008 budget. In light of the economic circumstances the State is facing in the months ahead, the 2009 buget provides for this payment to be paid in monthly instalments, in line with child benefit.

In recognition that the vast majority of children start school well in advance of their sixth birthday, the 2009 budget has made changes to the scheme. Children will now only be eligible for the payment until they reach the age of five and a half. This minor, but significant, change will result in savings of €35 million in a full year. Such savings have made possible the decision in the 2009 budget to extend the national child care investment programme to beyond 2010. This programme was established in January 2006, with a total allocation of €575 million over five years, of which €358 million and €217 million have been in respect of capital expenditure and current expenditure, respectively. The main intention of the programme is the creation of an additional 50,000 child care places, including 10,000 for children between three and four and 5,000 for after-school care. At its heart is a commitment to seek a majority of child care places through the community sector, with the remainder to be provided within the private sector.

While significant sums have been allocated to groups nationally, more time is required to allow community-based providers to bring their proposals to a stage in which they are in a position to draw down the funding. I welcome the decision in the 2009 budget to provide for that extension.

The need to regulate those offering child care provision to our children to the highest levels must be central to any Government policy on child care. Parents must have the peace of mind of knowing their son or daughter is in a safe place of the highest possible quality. The Child Care Act 1991 stipulates that the HSE is charged with ensuring the health safety and welfare of pre-school children attending services. All child care providers are required to notify the HSE that they are providing services and, consequently, they are required to take all reasonable measures to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of pre-school children attending their service. The establishment of, and provision of additional resources to, the Garda Central Vetting Unit are valuable in ensuring the safest possible child care environment exists. Overall, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has responsibility for these regulations and for developing policy in this area.

The HSE is required to inspect and regulate pre-school child care services and has published a list of tips on choosing a pre-school. I urge all parents who are choosing a child care facility to consider these guidelines and ensure the facilities they intend to use meet with them.

In line with my role as the Government's Seanad spokesperson on disability and mental health, I will consider the provision of child care services for children with disabilities. The Disability Equality Specialist Support Agency's recent report, Profile of Inclusion, 2007, contains research on the inclusion of children with disabilities in child care and play settings. It notes that 57% of the services surveyed have included or include children with disabilities. These providers should be commended on this. However, the report has also shown us that of the providers surveyed, 21% said they had previously turned a child with a disability away. The main reasons, as highlighted by those who specified, include accessibility issues, not being able to meet the child's needs and a lack of training.

The benefits of including children with disabilities in mainstream child care facilities far outweigh any challenges that may arise from doing so. Respondents in the aforementioned survey also believe this. They believe inclusion would promote understanding and acceptance, allow all children to learn together and promote children's rights and equality.

I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, to work in tandem with his ministerial colleague, Deputy Moloney, to provide the necessary supports to providers to make them feel more confident in providing care to children with disabilities. I commend the Disability Equality Specialist Support Agency on its role in supporting operators of child care facilities to address these challenges. I congratulate the Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, on maintaining the high level of child care provision in the 2009 budget, despite the economic downturn. I look forward to working with the Minister of State over the coming months and years in developing child care facilities for all our children.