Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Kelly stated how good the ambulance service is, and it is good. I heard about a case in Knocklyon, in my constituency, last week in which one person was waiting three and a half hours for an ambulance. I presume it is something like this that garners attention, whether it is based on the correct evidence or not.Something must be done about that because it is not right given that it is an area that is three minutes away from a hospital.

I support the call for a further debate on child care but I want to put it in the context of a debate that is evidence-based. We must ensure we come out of that debate with strategic and co-ordinated developments. A Senator mentioned all the reports, which contain a lot of evidence-based material. The group set up by the Minister is cross-departmental and will gather all the reports together and look at evidence-based material. The most important debate in this House I am calling for is one on quality in child care. We are not putting enough money into child care because there are people working in child care who are on the minimum wage. We are asking child care workers to work for very poor wages. Quality in child care is very important, as are buildings. We now have funding of €260 million per year. It must be strategic and evidence-based.

I am looking for a debate on child care, a debate we cannot hedge. We have had many debates on child care. I want to ensure that we have choices that guarantee quality and that respect the people working and providing the service for half nothing. We need a realistic debate. We cannot be against water charges, property tax and waste charges. We must come in here with a percentage of GDP that we are going to put into child care. I want us to come in here prepared. We have spent long enough talking about it and we have to do something. We are doing a lot. We appointed the first Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and set up Tusla. Significant action is being undertaken in a co-ordinated way for the first time. It would be a pity to throw the baby out with the bath water and say we want a second year. I want a second year of early childhood education but I want to ensure it is money best spent and that we are doing things properly.