The Government is committed, under the terms of Partnership 2000, to supporting the implementation of family friendly policies in the workplace. In pursuing this aim the expertise of the Employment Equality Agency, which comes under the aegis of my Department, will be utilised. It is my intention to enact legislation by June of this year to give effect to the terms of the EU Directive on Parental Leave.
My Department is chairing the expert working group on child care which was established under Partnership 2000 in July 1997 for the purpose of devising a national framework for the development of quality child care facilities in Ireland. The group had its inaugural meeting on 18 July 1997. There are over 70 members in the group representing parents and a range of Departments, statutory bodies, the social partners and non-governmental organisations with expertise and an interest in child care. The expert working group aims to present its final report by the end of December 1998 and to produce an interim report in June 1998.
I am also seeking to address the need for child care facilities as an equal opportunities measure through the pilot child care initiative programme. The programme, which provides capital funding for the establishment of child care facilities in disadvantaged areas, is targeted at parents who are aiming to participate in employment, training or education. A sum of £2.615 million has been allocated in my Department's 1998 budget for the continuation of the pilot child care initiative and for the expert working group on child care as compared with an allocation of £800,000 for child care in 1997.
The role of my Department in developing a child care infrastructure as an equal opportunities measure has been underpinned by EU funds. A new measure, child care infrastructure, was inserted at the mid-term review of the Community Support Framework and a nominal 1 million ecus from the European Regional Development Fund was allocated to my Department for that purpose.
Further recognition of the equal opportunities dimension of child care is contained in the employment guidelines agreed at the Luxembourg Employment Summit in December 1997, which require member states to strive to raise levels of access to child care services as an equal opportunities measure. Each member state must draw up an action plan by 14 April 1998 which includes how it intends to increase its child care provision. My Department will be fully involved in ensuring that Ireland meets the commitments under the guidelines in relation to provision of child care.
