Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Members do not often have the opportunity to engage with the Minister, Deputy Howlin, although he comes into the House on occasion. When I saw he was in the Chamber, I decided to come in and speak on this important subject. The Government has made and is making a priority of homelessness and housing, which is its main focus at present and hopefully the outcomes will be successful. I look forward to the implementation of yesterday's announcement of €2.9 billion for social housing. The Government must ensure that whatever it does regarding housing is well thought out and well thought through. I listened to Senator Hayden on the cap and whatever and while rent controls are in vogue at present, measures must be well thought out and well thought through in respect of supply because after all, Governments do not build houses; people and builders do.

I came into the Chamber to speak about the child care issue in particular. While Senators van Turnhout and Naughton have spoken about it previously, I consider it to be the most pressing issue after housing. At present, 80% of the budget goes on health, education and social welfare. Were an investment made at the early intervention stage, one would reduce the budget of each Department by at least 10%. I ask the Minister - and have made this point previously to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, - that each Department be levied for a stipend towards child care and early intervention and prevention. This not only concerns the Department of Children and Youth Affairs but it concerns all Departments. One might ask how the Department of Justice and Equality's responsibilities relate to children, but it has been found over the years that for every $10 spent, at least $2 were saved. It was in dollars at the time, which was before surveys were available in Ireland. Children do not go to prison, end up being better educated, have higher workforce participation rates and have better health. Consequently, it is a false economy to suggest it is only the Department of Children and Youth Affairs which deals with the issue. Each Department should conduct an internal examination of itself in this regard. While Governments always are being charged with looking at single years, the present Government is engaged in long-term planning of which this would be an element. There is no point simply in throwing money at child care and the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has stated it must be of high quality and all Departments must consider this point. It does not come cheap and will not be cheap but it must be done. Another point regarding the workload early childhood care and education providers now have is many of them go on the dole if their employers cannot afford to pay them throughout the summer and in consequence, €6 million or €7 million is paid out in dole payments. It would be much better to put that money right into the system to provide early intervention, particularly for the most needy. On the question of giving €5 in child benefit, while it of course is welcome, is it best? If the aforementioned €5 gets into the hands of people who do not understand the benefits of early intervention, they might put it in the wrong direction and it would not necessarily have any impact on the child in the long term. I ask that this point be considered.

Another issue that already has been mentioned in the Chamber is that of increasing women's participation in the workforce and after-school care and the need to draw up a stable programme for that because it is piecemeal at present. The advisory council established by the Minister has made some recommendations in this regard and while Members must await the budget, I refer to the Hands Up for Children recommendation and the ongoing review of the effectiveness of existing child and family services to ascertain whether they all provide value for money. On the inspections, I agree completely with Senator van Turnhout's point that while nurses are well qualified and so on, they are not the right people to make such visits. I served on the very first expert group on child care in 1991, at which a vote was taken on whether it should be under the remit of the Department of Health or the Department of Education and Skills. Health won out but I consider that to be the wrong Department and that it should be under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. I compliment the Government in that this is the very first year in which the Department of Education and Skills has taken an interest and will provide an inspectorate. However, co-ordination with the inspectorate through the Department of Education and Skills, Tusla and so on must be done.

While I mentioned the workforce, I note it is employers who provide the jobs in this regard. As for support systems, one should reduce the lower rate of PRSI for employers. While I must conclude on this point, the taxation of work must be a third priority. As for getting people back to work, there is nothing like getting people out of poverty by providing them with jobs. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on the work he has done in this regard and on the figures Members see each week. The issues of employers' PRSI, making it easier for people to employ, as well as the benefits employers themselves get if they happen to find themselves out of work also must be examined. As for the universal social charge and pensions, I could go on but I have mentioned what are my priorities. I look forward to continued success for the Government.