Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

What this section does is make us all think about the necessity for child care, preschool and after school care. In 1995 and 1996, when I was a member of the old expert working group on child care set up by the previous government, this was being discussed. I compliment the Minister on putting this issue on the table and I compliment the Government on setting up the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and appointing Deputy Frances Fitzgerald as Minister. I have faith in both the Minister for Social Welfare, Deputy Burton, and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, who is also a social worker. She knows the facts about single parents.

The most important issue for us is to remove uncertainty from the system. We must recognise that all single parents want the best for their children. Some single parents are working and trying to scratch together a few bob to provide child care for children seven years old and older. This proposal is a targeted approach to choose to do what is best for children with the money given to all parents, both those in the social welfare system and those in the single parent system, and to decide whether it is being used in the best way possible for the benefit of children.

This Bill brings the issues back to the table, not just child care, but the issue of after school care which has not been discussed enough. Senator Healy Eames complimented a parent who had moved off all social welfare schemes and benefits because of the help she was given. This is what the Minister has in mind and the sooner people in the various Departments get their heads together on this, the better. The Department of Education and Skills should be included in the discussions also. The previous expert working group on child care recommended that Department should make school buildings available free of charge. Currently they are closed and locked up after school time, but they are fine buildings that could be made available to the community. Senator Bacik is right. Applications are coming in for new build child care facilities, but there are already plenty of facilities in closed up and locked school buildings that would not cost the Departments anything to open up. SNAs have been trained to level 7 or 8 in the early childhood care and education programme and they are qualified to provide the programme but the problem is that they are attached to the Department of Education and Skills and it is not in charge here. The Department for Children and Youth Affairs is only new and cannot get everything done in one year.

When the Minister spoke on the Bill on Second Stage I heard her say that her Department and the others I have mentioned would knock heads together to see how best to make the provisions. The Minister has said the number of children involved is not too large. Therefore, it will not cost the earth. However, the plan must be put in written form. Senator van Turnhout mentioned the need for the cost-benefit analysis. That must be published. I speak from experience on this issue. I lectured at third level on early childhood care and education and I know what I am talking about. I have visited the Scandinavian countries and I have seen the facilities there. Senator Mooney pointed out that is paid for by the taxes paid. However, the cost should not be so great here because we have the facilities. We have plenty of empty buildings and perhaps they could be made available through NAMA.

It must be clearly indicated in written form what moneys will be saved by introducing this proposal and those moneys should be targeted at after school services. The people who will be most affected will be the single parents of seven year olds. They do not want to be stuck in the house all the time. I speak to single parents and they want to get out and to work. but they want to ensure their children are cared for. This proposal will put the issue on the table and open up the debate. I have spoken so often about early childhood care and education that I am like a broken record. Somebody said to me once what they would do if they heard me going on about it again. What we do not seem to realise is that these children are not sick children. They are healthy. Therefore, we should take the moneys from everywhere else and target it at the needs of children. This is what the Minister is doing.

I would like to hear the Department of Education and Skills announce that it is getting involved in this also. Education covers from the womb to the tomb, and just because children are in the primary school at seven, we should not neglect them. The work goes on. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation should also be involved. An earlier amendment suggested this and I had intended to contribute on it. That Department and its Oireachtas committee must be involved. All the Departments with an interest in this issue must work together. Under the community child care subvention scheme currently, there is an opportunity to target not alone preschool services but also after school services. It would be possible to target that scheme at certain people but more research must be done in that regard.

This is one of the most important debates in this House as it puts the issues on the table and puts them up to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Minister for Social Protection, the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. They must all come together on this. Like other Senators, I would love to have seen the plan prepared by now but I will leave it for now. I expect the Minister will bring the plan forward at a later date and I look forward to that.