Written Answers. - Child Care Services.
Seán Haughey
Question:
1003
Mr. Haughey
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the measures being taken to improve the position of the married woman working full-time in the home rearing children; his intentions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1128/01]
The role of my Department in relation to child care relates to services provided by third parties to parents for the care of their children. The findings of a survey conducted in 1998 by the ESRI on behalf of the Commission on the Family indicate that one in five households with children aged four years or less use the services of a crèche-nursery and that in almost half of these households the mother worked full-time in the home, suggesting a desire on the part of those mothers working full time in the home for their children to participate in pre-school services. My Department has been supporting the development of child care service provision, including pre-school services, since 1994 from a social inclusion and equal opportunities perspective.
The Employment Equality Act, 1998, prohibits discrimination in relation to employment, including, access to employment, on nine grounds, namely, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community. The Act should facilitate women who give up their employment to care for their children full time in the home and who wish at a later stage to return to paid employment. In particular, the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age will ensure that such women will have the option of re-entering the labour force once they have reared their children.
Funding provided in the national development plan for my Department for positive action for women includes an element for projects which assist women returning to the labour force after long absences rearing their children. These initiatives are complemented by work being done by my colleagues, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.
The Minister for Finance has introduced the home carers allowance which is a new tax allowance of up to £3,000 per annum at the standard rate of income tax. This may be claimed by married couples, who are jointly assessed and where one spouse, the home carer, cares for one or more dependent persons which includes children, the aged or incapacitated persons.
The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs is currently undertaking a review of the qualifying conditions for the old age contributory and retirement pensions. The second phase of this review, which is due to commence shortly, will further examine the existing arrangements for the homemakers scheme whereby special arrangements are currently in place to help people who work in the home to qualify for an old age contributory pension.
Increases in child benefit were announced in the budget which will benefit all women irrespective of whether they are working in the home or otherwise. The increases in child benefit are illustrated in the following table:
|
Number ofchildren
|
Presentmonthly rate£
|
Newmonthly rate£
|
|
1 child
|
42.50
|
67.50
|
|
2 children
|
85.00
|
135.00
|
|
3 children
|
141.00
|
221.00
|
|
4 children
|
197.00
|
307.00
|
|
5 children
|
253.00
|
393.00
|
|
6 children
|
309.00
|
479.00
|
|
7 children
|
365.00
|
585.00
|
|
8 children
|
421.00
|
651.00
|
These increases are due to take effect from 5 June 2001.
My Department recently completed a review of maternity protection legislation in consultation with other relevant Government Departments and the social partners, and in accordance with commitments in the Government Action Programme for the Millennium and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The report of the working group on the review and improvement of the maternity protection legislation has been accepted by the Government and presented to the social partners under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. It will be published shortly. The working group agreed recommendations to improve maternity protection provision, including the increase, as announced in the budget, in the period of maternity leave, attracting payment from 14 weeks to 18 weeks and in the period of optional (unpaid) leave from four weeks to eight weeks. The recommendations of the working group will significantly improve conditions for mothers who wish to remain full time at home with new-born babies.
The Parental Leave Act, 1998, provides an individual and non-transferrable entitlement to both parents to 14 weeks unpaid leave from work to take care of young children. The leave must be taken before the child reaches five years of age, except in certain circumstances in the case of an adopted child. This legislation will facilitate both parents to dedicate a short period to the full time care of young children. Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness my Department will, in 2001, conduct a review of the Parental Leave Act, 1998, in consultation with the social partners.
The Deputy may like to be aware that my Department allocated a grant of £5,000 last year to the organisation Women in the Home for development activities and this grant is being increased to £6,000 this year. In addition, funding was provided last year towards the attendance of a representative of Women in the Home at the UN General Assembly Special Session Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century (Beijing + 5). Women in the Home aims to provide support and a forum for women working in the home through which they can have a voice and influence society.
As I stated at the special session of the United Nations General Assembly on Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century' which took place in New York in June of last year to mark five years since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, my Department has started work on the development of a national plan for women. My Department will enter into a consultation process with women and their representative groups when a draft plan currently being developed in my Department becomes available. This will provide an opportunity for women working full time in the home to contribute to the development of the national plan for women.
Seán Haughey
Question:
1004
Mr. Haughey
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the measures being taken to ensure the provision of affordable child care; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[1131/01]
As the Deputy is aware, my Department has been allocated £250 million over the course of the National Development Plan 2000 to 2006 to improve child care provision throughout the country. The objectives of this funding are to increase the availability of child care places, to improve the quality of child care provision and to ensure the co-ordination of child care service provision on a local and national basis.
On the 28 April 2000, I announced the availability of capital and staffing grants for community based/not-for-profit child care organisations and capital grants for small scale private child care providers catering for no more than 20 children to enable us to meet these objectives. Grants are also available for quality improvement projects such as local child care networks, child care training and innovative projects.
In addition to the funding available under the national development plan, in October 2000, I announced details of the Government's extra £40 million anti-inflationary package for child care. Following on from this announcement, in late November, 2000, I was pleased to announce the availability of capital grants, from my Department's equal opportunities child care section, to private child care providers who cater for more than 20 children.
Since the announcement of the availability of grants in April 2000, over £30 million in funding has been committed by my Department under the equal opportunities child care programme with over £22 million being allocated in the form of capital or staffing grants to child care services on the ground. Almost 7,000 child care places will be supported by the funding committed by my Department which includes the creation of over 3,200 new child care places.
Budget 2001 saw the greatest increase in child benefit by any Government in the history of the State with an increase in child benefit rates, from June 2001, by £25 per month for first and second children to £67.50 per month and for the third and subsequent children by £30 per month to £86 per month. Similar child benefit increases will be paid in 2002 and 2003, bringing the rates to £117.50 and £146 per month respectively. These increases will initially cost £192 million and will cost £329 million in a full year.
The measures in place, as outlined above, together with the increase in child benefit rates announced in budget 2001, reaffirm this Government's commitment to keeping child care at the forefront of its social agenda.
