Traditionally, Ireland has done little to help working parents, or parents in education, to meet the burden of caring for their children.
Yesterday's announcement by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform suggests that this may be about to change for the better. Mr O'Donoghue announced that the heads of a Bill allowing each parent of a child under eight years of age to take up to three months' child-care leave will be ready for the Government shortly.
The measure has been agreed between employer and trade-union bodies at European level as well as by the social partners in the Republic.
Another indication that child care is being taken more seriously can be seen in the announcement that the employers' organisation, IBEC, is to start an experimental child-care programme in association with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The details have yet to be published, but the scheme is likely to include the provision of child care by a number of companies for their employees.
Part of the motivation for this is clearly the need to keep skilled women in the workforce. Another part, as the Minister of State, Ms Mary Wallace, said last night, is the unwillingness of men to remain on the margins of the family.
But the most important sign of change of all may be Mr O'Donoghue's announcement that "child-care infrastructure" has been included as a heading in the mid-term review for the present round of EU funding.
That sounds like Eurobabble, but it is much more than that.
It means that the provision of child-care facilities will be one of the standards by which Ireland's performance in terms of equal opportunities will be judged in the EU. It will also mean European funding for the creation of these facilities.
The amount allocated by Europe so far is by no means spectacular, one millions ECUs, just under £800,000. What matters is that we can hope realistically for more of the same.
This move is the result of some determined work in the European labyrinth by officials of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. That it has been achieved suggests that this Government's shotgun wedding between the former Department of Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Justice may turn out to be a fruitful one.