Government 'downplaying childcare expectations'

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte has accused the Government of now downplaying expectations about the Budget's childcare package after building up high expectations for months.

The Government, he said, has sat on its hands on childcare for seven years and is now claiming it will take years to solve the childcare crisis.

However, while accepting it will take years, Mr Rabbitte said that a lot could be done immediately. He instanced the affordability issue and extending paid leave for parents.

Referring to the recent Irish Examiner poll, he said: "A striking finding of the poll is that fewer than half of working mothers avail of the option to take unpaid maternity leave. Even more striking is that only 9% of parents, including 20% of women where both partners are working, have taken unpaid parental leave.

"More than anything else, parents are telling me that they want to spend more time with their kids, particularly when they are very young. I want to give parents that choice."

The Labour leader was speaking at his party's convention for Cork South Central where Ciarán Lynch was selected as a candidate. Mr Lynch is a brother-in-law of Cork North central deputy, Kathleen Lynch.

The party also selected its candidate for Cork North West. He is Cllr Martin Coughlan from Macroom.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin yesterday unveiled an ambitious childcare package as part of its pre-Budget submission. Launched in Dublin by party leader Gerry Adams, the e1.5 billion per annum package contains a range of proposals.

The party's Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald outlined the measures in its policy document Putting Children First.

The party has called for universal pre-school education for three and a half hours each week day; an increase of maternity leave to 26 weeks; more investment in childcare places in disadvantaged areas; a proper pay scale for childcare works; significant increases in child benefit; as well as the granting of medical card cover to all under-18s.

In the longer term, the party wants a childcare supplement for all under-fives. Mr O Caoláin said yesterday that the party would not provide its costings for this initiative until next year.

Mr Adams said: "A large number of children are still living in poverty. We are asking the Government to deliver on this issue."

The party has also called for legislation to end individuals declaring they are non-resident for tax purposes; VAT to be poverty-proofed; and abolition of the employee PRSI ceiling.

Ms McDonald said the party was not being contradictory in its stance on removing the universal application of VAT, given that it wants universal access to child benefit medical cards for under-18s.