James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for their contributions and comments, to which I will respond by making some general points. I fully concur with Senator Cáit Keane that the future of the country lies in our children and we must invest in them. The earlier in life money is invested in children, the greater the return on investment not only in euro, but also in terms of its wider value. During the Celtic tiger years, people knew the price of everything but forgot the value of many other things. True value lies in families, children and communities.

We all share the goal of improving outcomes for children and there is now a greater realisation that we need evidence-based services to achieve such outcomes. We must reform, invest, learn and reform again because this issue is not static. Life is changing, as are the lives of our children and the challenges and demands facing families. We must continually evolve to meet these challenges.

I will not respond to the issues raised by Senators in any particular order. I fully subscribe to the idea that we should consider investing in child care in a manner that allows the Government to have a say in standards and quality and affords the parents the widest degree of choice. While I do not believe the introduction of tax credits would achieve this objective, I will await the outcome of the deliberations of the interdepartmental group as I do not propose to pre-judge a deliberative process that will add value to our ability to make policy and stand us in good stead in the years ahead. The way forward is to ensure the Government has before it a menu of options that has been properly analysed and costed and from which it will make decisions. To this end, the interdepartmental group will report in June. The early years strategy, which is the subject of further consultations, will be completed in the coming months. The interdepartmental group process is running in parallel with the early years strategy but is being fast-tracked to allow for consideration in the context of the Estimates process. Both processes will be informed by the expert advisory group's report.

It is important to emphasise that during the worst of the financial crisis, the Government protected the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme. We can be proud of this achievement, which demonstrates our commitment to children. While there is no disagreement on the value or importance of the provision, the question is what is the best and most strategic platform for a process for further investment over time. Quality is central to what we do and is of great importance in terms of outcomes.

I cannot over-emphasise the importance of the role played by parents. In speaking to parents, whether in my current or previous ministerial roles or my previous position as a doctor, I have always pointed out that while some people are experts in particular fields, parents are experts on their children and experts need to listen as well as advise.

The links with health and well-being and the role of public health in the early years are important areas, particularly in light of the recent OECD report. These links will be a key feature in the early years strategy. The strong cross-over between Healthy Ireland and Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures will continue. I will work closely on this matter with the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, and all my fellow Ministers. We are taking a cross-government approach to Healthy Ireland. One of the nicest photographs of the Cabinet features all its members holding a copy of the Healthy Ireland document. The commitment to its implementation extends across the Government.

Several Senators noted that I mentioned a model for children with additional needs. I have an open mind on how this will be best achieved. While we seek to achieve uniformity of approach, I also accept that one size does not fit all. I also recognise the need to ensure there is robust planning for current unmet and future demand for services. It is critical that we establish a system of needs assessment that is linked to local planning processes, as has been done in the case of schools.

Senators raised the gender issue and issues related to laying off child care workers for 14 weeks each year. I do not have reason to disagree with the sentiments expressed in this regard. I also agree that remuneration should reflect training.

I wish to continue to discuss with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, the issue of assessing children area for special needs. We can discuss the issue of au pairs at a future date.

I wish to correct a point made by a number of Deputies.