'Less than €9 a week - a paltry increase'

EMIR BINIONS is a working mum who pays €275 per week for the convenience of full-time childcare.

For this fee, her two children, Charlie, two, and Emma, four, are fed and cared for from 8.30am to 5.30pm each weekday.

For the 36-year-old sales executive at EC Labels, a family-run business in Waterford City, it is money well spent. The crèche for her children is on the same estate as her place of work, allowing for painless delivery of her children each morning and effortless collection in the evening.

Last month, as part of the first national media poll of childcare carried out by the Irish Examiner in conjunction with Lansdowne Market Research, we asked the full-time working mum what would make her life easier.

She pointed out: "I wouldn't be great at staying at home all day with the children. My job is more than a job. It's a family business. I'd hate to have to work and not want to, but that's not the case."

Both she and her husband Alfie agreed assistance in meeting childcare costs would provide welcome relief. "It's roughly the cost of another mortgage and takes a good chunk of Emir's wages," Alfie said.

Yesterday, Brian Cowen announced a €1,000 payment per year for each child under the age of six. He also announced a rise in monthly child benefit from €141.60 to €150, just €100.80 extra over a year. For Emir and Alfie this will mean €1,100.80 per annum per child, or €2,201.60 in total. This sum will cover just eight weeks of childcare costs. But as Emir points out: "It's better than nothing. It all helps, anything helps. I'd be happy with anything at this stage. When you're coming from a situation where previously all you got was child benefit, the additional €1,000 payment has to be welcomed."

She likes the idea of a lump sum rather than tax relief or tax credits. However, she believes the increase in child benefit is paltry. "It's less than €9 a week and while it probably will cost the Government a huge amount, it won't make much difference to parents."

Emir welcomed the plans to increase paid maternity leave by four weeks, from 18 to 22, by March next year, followed by six months of paid maternity leave by 2007. She said the Government had finally realised childcare had become an issue "far too big to ignore".