Seanad debates

Friday, 27 April 2012

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage

 

3:00 pm

Photo of Marie MoloneyMarie Moloney (Labour)

I have spoken to the Minister outside the House on numerous occasions. She is the person who said that she would not to this. I ask the Minister to give a firm commitment that if by some chance she is reshuffled, that her successor keeps the commitment the Minister has given us. This commitment is on the record. I cannot see how the Minister could renege on the commitment in 2014.

This morning I heard Deputy Eamon Gilmore say the troika had agreed that we could use 50% of the money from the sale of State assets for the job stimulus package. What better package than this? I ask the Minister to ensure that money from the sale of State assets is ringfenced and put aside for the provision of proper affordable child care. The Minister for Social Protection together with her colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, should get their spake in for a good lump of that money for the provision of child care. Jobs will be created and parents will be able to avail of proper child care for their children.

Let me repeat what I said this morning when the Minister was not here. I am a rural Senator. I live in the country not in a town and I know how hard it is for a person from a rural area, working in a town, to get her school-going child from school to child care. She is working in the town and has to return to the school and place her child in child care before returning to work. That is very hard when there are two parents but it is next to impossible for a lone parent to juggle work and rear a family. I will vote with this but I will hold the Minister to account to honour her commitment not to lower the age to seven years until the child care provision is in place. We need a proper debate in this House on child care facilities. That is another day's work - "lá eile", as another speaker said. We will call on the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to come to this House to debate the matter and outline the progress she is making with the provision of affordable, safe and accessible child care for people.

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