Aideen Hayden (Labour)

I welcome the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, to the House. Like other speakers, I congratulate her on being the first Minister with specific responsibility for and a full ministry on children and youth affairs. Everyone accepts we have had a difficult and traumatic past when it comes to how we approach children in our society. There is much in this regard of which we do not have much to be proud. Over the past 15 years, however, we have come a reasonable way in seeking to protect children, in putting their interests first and recognising the importance and role of the family in protecting the child.

The Constitution states the family is the natural, primary and fundamental unit of society and we accept its role in this regard. There is recognition in all relevant children's legislation that the family unit is the best place for a child to experience childhood. Care is a last resort and it is aimed to ensure a child's experience of a care facility is always as short as possible. Considering that the definition of family in the Constitution is one based on marriage and the current reality in society of the varying units that constitute a family, does the Minister believe the definition needs to be re-examined in the forthcoming constitutional convention? It would help ensure not only that there is legislation that puts the interest of the child first but also that states categorically that we do not limit our supports for families to those based on the constitutional definition.

I welcome the Minister's success in having the Early Years strategy adopted by the Cabinet. A recent OECD economic survey of Ireland recognised it made sound economic sense to place early intervention and family support services high on the agenda. I feel a certain sense of disappointment that we have to be told by the OECD that this represents sound economic sense. As far back as 2005, the National Economic and Social Forum report, Early Childhood Care and Education, stated:

Ability gaps open up early and persist. This is true for many other measures of verbal and mathematical ability.

The report continued that there is a clear relationship with the experience vulnerable children have in the education system and their outcomes in life while early interventions contribute to improving cognitive ability early in life which affects skill acquisition later in life. It was not only yesterday that we discovered early intervention is important and has positive outcomes for children and society at large. It was not only yesterday we discovered the relationship between the levels of interventions in a child's life and later problems of homelessness, crime, poor health and unemployment. Barnardos estimates every euro spent intervening in a child's life ultimately saves the State €8. I congratulate the Minister on getting Cabinet support for the early intervention strategy. I wish some of the policy had been in place earlier.

Since 1994 those who interface with children in the first line of contact, such as teachers, health service professionals and social workers, have been trained in child protection. This is important because frequently they are the professionals who first identify difficulties with a particular family. While there is a role for policy in prevention and early intervention, there are other issues which must also be addressed. In 2002, research was published on children who end up in front of the Children's Court. Does the Minister accept that, in spite of our best efforts, many of the children who experience difficulties with the system come from poorer backgrounds and are deprived economically and socially? According to the study, some of the factors are occupancy of a local authority or rented house, belonging to a single parent family, low family income, consistent poverty, parents in long-term unemployment and poor housing. We must not lose sight of the fact that the significant economic factors that cause children to be at risk do not present for the wider community.

Other Senators touched on a number of issues relating to the question of funding. As the Minister acknowledged, there are many non-governmental organisations, NGOs, in the children and youth affairs sectors. The relationship between them and the statutory sector might benefit from greater clarity and the usage of further service level agreements. I am from an NGO background and am aware of a significant issue with NGOs' funding mechanisms. We have not succeeded in moving to a biannual or triannual funding basis. As such, many NGOs are effectively funding Government programmes for 12 months or longer. These organisations have salary, pension and legal commitments to their staff. Will the Minister consider influencing this situation, in so far as it is within her control?

The Minister referred to childhood obesity. The idea of a fat tax, that is, placing a tax on food substances, has been proposed in the Seanad. Would the Minister favour such a tax if it was ring-fenced for the provision of school meals specifically? Compared with other countries, school meals are not provided to a significant extent in Ireland. Should we consider this proposal?

I also wish to raise the issue of the privatisation of child care. Ireland's child care system does not speak with the educational system. They exist as two separate structures. In light of the need to use State resources more appropriately, we must consider using the existing educational infrastructure to bring about better child care outcomes. Will the Minister consider this proposal?