BREDA MOYNIHAN
Sir, - It was most touching to read of IBEC's concern for the problems afflicting working parents resulting from inadequate childcare (Business This Week, July 19th). Jackie Harrison, IBEC director of social policy, laments the poor level of provision in Ireland relative to France and other European countries.
Irish parents are indeed entitled to look with envy at their counterparts throughout Europe, who can avail of lengthy paid leave for both parents, a right to part-time work, plentiful crêche places at a fraction of Irish prices, and good provision of after-school care.
As IBEC no doubt knows, these arrangements are good for business, since they ensure continued high levels of labour market participation by skilled female workers. For families themselves, the quality of life is immensely enhanced.
Developing similar arrangements in Ireland will require investment on a substantial scale. During the last election campaign, Labour put forward a comprehensive childcare policy, which we estimated would, when fully implemented, cost in the region of €800 million a year. That is the scale of the challenge, but Irish parents deserve nothing less. Certainly, they do not deserve to be treated as second-class citizens relative to their European counterparts.
Yet, when Labour had the temerity to suggest that a small increase in business taxes would be appropriate as a partial contribution to this cost, the explosion of self-righteous outrage from IBEC could indeed have been heard in France. "Hands off," we were told. IBEC's concern for working parents does not stretch to business making any financial contribution. IBEC will accept the benefits to business of State investment in childcare, so long as someone else pays.
Ms Harrison's touching concern is hard to take. - Yours, etc.,
BREDA MOYNIHAN CRONIN, TD,
Labour Spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs, Dublin 2.