Written Answers. - Working Mothers' Child Care.
Michael Woods
Ceist:
16
Dr. Woods
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
his views on whether the absence of adequate child care facilities for working mothers seriously inhibits the attainment of equality for women in the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[18243/95]
Desmond J. O'Malley
Ceist:
24
Mr. O'Malley
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
the further progress, if any, that has been made in relation to the provision of child care facilities for working parents; and when he expects the recommendations of the Working Group on Child Care Facilities for Working Parents to be fully implemented.
[18228/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 24 together.
The availability of child care facilities for working parents is one of many factors which affect the attainment of equality for women in the workplace. Its influence on the wage differential between male and female employees is described in a report by the ESRI, last year, which was commissioned jointly by my Department and the Employment Equality Agency and which was entitled Male-Female Wage Differentials: Analysis and Policy Issues.
The report notes that the average labour market experience of female employees reflects, in large measure, the fact that many women tend to leave the labour market during the years of child-bearing and child-rearing and that the availability and cost of child-care are relevant to women's labour market decisions.
The Programme for Competitiveness and Work also recognised the contribution which child care provision can make in promoting equal opportunities and a number of the programme's undertakings in this area are being pursued by my Department.
For example, in so far as child care facilities can aid the attainment of equality both for working parents or parents seeking access to employment, training or educational opportunities I took early action on the establishment of my Department to ensure that the National Development Plan included a child care element.
As a result of the National Development Plan, the human resources operational programme of the Community Support Framework has set aside a total of nearly £8 million to support equal opportunities measures, including child care initiatives, over the period of the programme. As part of this FÁS, in its contribution over the next few years, has committed £1.5 million to child care training measures and will supplement this with support for child care facilities for its trainees.
In addition, my Department also launched a national initiative to develop pilot child care projects in disadvantaged areas. Following on the £250,000 issued in 1994 my Department had issued a further £800,000 up to the end of November 1995 towards the cost of approved projects under the pilot child care initiative launched last year. This scheme is assisting child care projects in disadvantaged areas. Over 70 projects have been approved for assistance.
Over and above these measures the State is also involved in child care provision through the health boards. In 1992, the latest year for which data is available, over 300 centres catering for 9,000 children countrywide were supported by health boards. Although these services are essentially for children whose parents are experiencing difficulty in caring for them undoubtedly some of these parents are in employment or seeking employment or training.
Primary responsibility for child care policy resides with my colleague, the Minister for Health, under the Child Care Act, 1991. Full implementation of that Act is promised by the end of next year, when provisions relating to the regulation, supervision and inspection of child care standards and facilities will be introduced. This will ensure the necessary regulatory infrastructure for child care services to develop. It will also enable better monitoring of the capacity and standards of such services.
Provision of child care facilities is not solely or primarily a responsibility of Government. While Government may need to encourage the provision of such facilities by its activities and policies, there is a responsibility on employers and workers to work with local development and community interests from both voluntary and public authority sectors to develop child care provision in response to local needs.
As child care provision enables employers to retain in employment experienced workers who would otherwise be lost to the enterprise and to avoid the concomitant costs in recruiting and training new staff, there are considerable gains to be achieved by active pursuit of a partnership approach with worker and community interests here.
This partnership approach suitably complements the Community Support Framework and child care pilot scheme measures which my Department has been promoting.
The Department's contribution to the impetus achieved in promoting the development of child care services will continue and I will continue to review the recommendations of the working group of the Second Commission on the Status of Women on child care support for working parents in progressing further provision in this area.
