SURVEY REVEALS IRISH CHILDCARE CRISIS

LACK of affordable childcare facilities is adversely hindering the employment opportunities of a large proportion of the Irish population.

A recent survey, released by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, shows that the lack of adequate childcare facilities is seriously affecting companies’ employment performance in both the recruitment and the retraining of staff.

Jennifer Lee, Chairperson of the CCI's Human Resources Council, said: "The latest figures from the Quarterly National Household Survey show that 144,000 people who want to work do not have jobs and many of these people could join the labour market if affordable childcare was available.”

The Irish Government has already earmarked £344m under the National Development Plan and other initiatives to increase childcare services between 2000-2006, but Ms Lee commented that the best solution to the current problem would be an increase in actual childcare places, rather than an increase in child benefit, which would only be cancelled out by inflation.

Irish union SIPTU echoed these calls for direct state investment in childcare facilities at the ICTU biennial delegate conference, held on July 4 2001.

Rosheen Callender, SIPTU National Equality Secretary, said: "The State must take its share of responsibility in this area - a responsibility that no other state in the EU has managed to avoid.

"There must be no more fudge on this crucial issue, no more sleight of hand by Government, no more pretence that increases in child benefit for which we have also campaigned for many years can possibly pay for child care when it still isn't adequate to its original task of feeding, clothing and housing children and providing for their basic needs."

"Working parents have been seriously shortchanged in relation to childcare, mainly for reasons of political cowardice," added Callender