At least another £100 million needs to be invested in childcare services in the next five years if the Government's apology over child abuse is to be taken seriously, the IMPACT conference in Bundoran was told.
A Kerry delegate, Mr Oliver Mawe, a social worker, challenged the Minister of State for Child Care, Mr Frank Fahy, "to stand up to the Department of Finance on the issue of funding childcare services."
He continued: "Unless Bertie Ahern and Mary Harney were simply shedding crocodile tears, and have no real commitment to the victims of abuse, they must commit this Government to radically increasing funding for childcare services."
He said Mr Fahy should take responsibility for convincing the Government to allocate funds.
"Liz O'Donnell threatened to resign if she did not get funding for overseas development. The matter was resolved."
Irish health services were still among the worst funded in Europe, the national secretary of IMPACT's health division, Mr Kevin Callinan, told the conference. "We're top of the European growth league, but 16th in the league of per-capita health spending. Only Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey are doing worse."
In the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, signed in 1990, he said, a 10-year time scale had been agreed between the social partners to develop the State's economic and social infrastructure. Ten years later Ireland had the fastest-growing economy in the EU, "seemingly a magnet for foreign investment".
But with money "pouring into the public coffers", he said, "scores of hospital beds are unavailable for long periods each year.
"Our public debt is well within international norms, yet people are now queueing to get on to queues for health services, while the Government continues the squeeze on spending. Corporate profits are soaring, yet homelessness is growing and children sleep on our streets."
He asked: "What is the point of living in a country with full employment, if you have to wait three years for a hip replacement?"
There were only eight orthoptists in the public health service.
Responding to the debate the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, said the comparative OECD figures on health expenditure used by the union were four years old. In some cases they included expenditure in the private sector.
Responding to the debate the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, said the comparative OECD figures on health expenditure used by the union were four years old. In some cases they included expenditure in the private sector.
Defending the record of his own Government, the Minister said that £3.4 billion a year was now being spent on health, compared with £2.3 billion in 1996, the last full year of the rainbow coalition.
Multi-annual capital programmes had also been introduced so that services could be planned properly. Capital expenditure of £525 million was taking place over this year and next, compared with £300 million between 1995 and 1997.