Government childcare initiatives have been rolled out with almost relentless regularity in the UKin recent years. But in Ireland far less attention has been paid to the issue - until now, when it has been thrust to the heart of political debate and is likely to be central to the forthcoming budget on 7 December.
The lack of affordable childcare has become glaringly more obvious, as the number of women working in Ireland has grown by 300,000 during the past decade while the Irish economy has experienced a spectacular boom.
This shortage has been compounded by the relatively high cost of childcare.The National Economic and Social Council in Dublin revealed earlier this year that Irish parents spend on average 20 per cent of their annual income on childcare, compared with a European average of 12 per cent.
In Dublin, where prices are generally higher than in other towns and rural areas, the cost of childcare for two children often runs at around 21500 a month, about 1,020.
Childcare soared to the top of the political agenda when the government lost two key by-elections in Meath and Kildare earlier this year. With parents often paying more for childcare than on their mortgage, a survey showed that childcare costs were now the third biggest political issue for all parents of children under 14.
The opposition Labour Party has put pressure on the government by proposing a 21.5billion childcare package which would involve a 250 per week exemption from tax and improved maternity leave.
Childminders dominate
Martina Murphy, spokesperson for the National Children's Nurseries Association (NCNA), acknowledges that advances have been made over the last five years, but she still believes that 'the value of early education and childcare has never been considered by society and reflected in government policy'. NCNA research suggests that providing a childcare place costs 2264 a week per child.
The government created the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) in 2000 and succeeded in securing funds from the European Union. It set up county childcare committees to provide a co-ordinating role. But while it has offered private investors generous capital allowances to stimulate the growth of childcare businesses, it has yet to tackle the issues of affordability and proper regulation.
Unlike the UK, where most full day care places are in private nurseries, in Ireland 80 per cent of places are with childminders - most of them unregistered and part of the 'black' economy. This is partly because it is cheaper for parents and is more practical, given the predominantly rural nature of the country.
Childminders are not required to notify their local health service executive unless they look after four or more children under the age of six.
Bernie Griffiths, manager of Childminding Ireland, which represents just 700 of the estimated 37,000 childminders, says, 'The biggest barrier to them coming forward and identifying themselves is tax. They are largely part of the informal economy.'
Jim Power, co-ordinator of the county childcare committee in Mayo, says that just 15 childminders are registered in the county, but that there are probably around 2,000 actually caring for children.
Childminding Ireland wants a 210,000 tax-free allowance for childminders, and for all ancillary social welfare benefits, including the pensions of grandparents looking after young children, to be disregarded for tax purposes.
Bernie Griffiths says that if childminders come into the tax bracket and are formally identified, then they can access capital grants to help them improve the level of their service as well as quality awareness training.
The capital grants can be used to add on to their homes, make their gardens safe and purchase large play items.
She adds, 'Childminding Ireland is looking after the best interests of the child. Quality for the children means they are being minded in a service that is open and transparent and where childminders will attend network meetings and training courses.'
Childminders, who may charge more than 2150 per week per child in Dublin but around 2130 averaged out nationally, are 'thirsting for training', she adds. She points out that they can receive 2630 towards their training costs from the government.
Martina Murphy says the NCNA wants the first 26,000 of income to be tax-exempt for all childcarers, whether they are childminders or nursery nurses. She also believes that the government should introduce childcare tax credits for working parents.
But Ms Murphy says the Irish government may shy away from this route, already pursued by the Labour government in the UK, because 'it has a terror of a backlash from people who choose to stay at home'.
Ireland's prime minister Bertie Ahern articulated the government's concerns when he told the Dail, the lower house of parliament, last month, 'I do not think you can discriminate between people working at home and people working in the workplace. It's putting one thing against the other and it's the wrong thing to do.'
Pointing to recent increases in child benefit, he added, 'Child benefit is childcare. It is money to help people whether they are working in the home or working outside.'
However, Simon Dowling, director of the Giraffe nursery chain, strongly disagrees. While he says that increases in child benefit have been 'laudable', he argues that giving support in this way 'does not address the issue, because it goes to everyone without discretion, whether they are working or not'.
He says 'stay-at-home' parents need not be penalised if they are treated in the same way as parents who opt to work. Both could be supported through a form of childcare voucher allied to tax breaks.
Imbalanced supply
Giraffe childcare currently runs ten nurseries in Ireland providing 900 childcare places. It has plans to create a further ten facilities in the next 18 months. Mr Dowling says the capital allowances have helped to boost provision.
But he wants changes to the 'ludicrous' planning laws which link childcare places to the development of new housing units. He says that in Adamstown, a new development in a Dublin suburb, there are 30,000 new houses and the authorities have decided that 1,500 new childcare places must be created there.
This approach, he says, will 'lead to a complete imbalance in supply', with too many places created in new areas of housing while shortages remain elsewhere.
'What we need is a cohesive strategic plan which looks at all the demographics of an area,' he says. 'Childcare needs more central government support, and there is likely to be a hybrid model of good strong private providers combined with community provision.'
Martina Murphy of the NCNA is also operations manager for Bright Horizons Family Solutions, which opened for business in Ireland five years ago and currently has seven nurseries, with 'more in the pipeline'. Other chains in Ireland include Cocoon and Kids Inc. Meanwhile, Creative Education Corporation, which runs nurseries under the Primary Steps brand name, is currently negotiating with the Ely Property group to set up 25 nurseries in the Republic.
Financial support
Ms Murphy is less enthusiastic about capital allowances, arguing that while they allow investors to claim 100 per cent relief for supporting nursery facilities, the benefits have not been passed on to providers and have not made childcare more affordable.
She says the NCNA believes that if the government wants greater regulation of the sector it must offer more financial support. It should continue with capital grants provided through the EOCP but ensure that they are focused on areas where there are gaps in childcare provision. NCNA members have expressed concern that there may be over-provision in some areas.
The NCNA, which represents more than 600 nursery providers, also wants nurseries to be treated the same as schools and be exempted from rates and water charges. 'We think that should be extended to childcare facilities, because they are providing a necessary infrastructural service which otherwise the government would have to provide,' she adds.
Jim Power says the county childcare committees help providers to make applications to central government for funds. But he warns, 'The government can't just throw money out there to create childcare places without a proper regard for quality.
'Within the country the infrastructure of childcare needs to be built up in terms of training trainers to deliver quality programmes. Then there is the need to professionalise the whole workforce, ensuring that it is properly paid and that parents are informed about what is quality childcare.'
Now all eyes will be focused on the Dail on 7 December to see whether the government has listened to the growing clamour from childcare providers, parents and employers for a bolder strategy backed up by more direct central government support.
