CRECHE CLOSURES HIGHLIGHT GOVT CYNICISM ON RETRAINING APPEAL.

Issued : Tuesday 19 May, 2009

Tracy O’Brien has reacted angrily to the Government announcement that young people on Job Seekers Benefit are being urged to go back to education at the same time that funding for community crèches is being cut.

The Minister for Social Welfare has announced that young people, including young parents, are now being told to re-skill and will reduce the amount that they receive on Job Seekers Benefit if they don’t take up her offer.

This is another example of the Minister talking out of both sides of her mouth – on one hand she is encouraging young people to return to education and at the same time she is cutting vital funding for the crèches that give people the time and opportunity to retrain.  This is typical of what is happening every day under this Fianna Fail / Green Party Government.

I know from my canvassing over the last number of months that community childcare provides quality, affordable, accessible childcare to tens of thousands of children throughout the state, particularly in areas of economic disadvantage. Cutting funding and creating insecurity for young parents is not the way to encourage people to embark on a new career path. People want to retrain but this government is making it impossible.

This Government's record on early childhood education has been abysmal.  Ireland is falling off the bottom of international and European league tables with just 18% of Irish under-3s provided for and here we are 7 years after the Government pledged at an EU summit to provide childcare by 2010 to at least 33% of children under-3 years of age.

If the Minister for Social & Family Affairs continues her cutbacks we will see more community crèches forced to close their doors.  It is again clear to me that this Government has absolutely zero concept of the kinds of problems people are facing on a daily basis.