The Government is close to finalising a comprehensive State childcare system, going beyond the traditional issue of tax breaks and financial incentives, to be unveiled in the Budget in December.
It is understood the plan, which will be phased in over several years, will introduce a wider concept of State involvement in childcare, embracing health, education and social welfare.
Speaking at the end of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party conference in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, where TDs and senators were advised that childcare would be one of the major issues at the next general election, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said the Government was giving the issue the serious consideration it deserved, but there were no quick-fix solutions.
He said childcare was not only about child-minding; it was also about early childhood education.
The Minister declined to give a date as to when the Government would consider its deliberations on a comprehensive childcare programme.
He said the issue may have to be considered in "an incremental manner" and would be decided in the context of the coming budget or other budgets in the future.
Earlier the conference heard a call from the chairwoman of the National Economic and Social Forum, Dr Maureen Gaffney, for the introduction of a universal pre-school service for all three-year-olds and the extension of maternity benefits, as part of an overall State investment package in childcare.
Dr Gaffney told the Fianna Fáil meeting that childcare would be one of the major issues in the next general election.
She said that, despite growing prosperity, Ireland had the lowest level of expenditure - at 0.2 per cent of GDP - on childcare of any state in the EU.
Dr Gaffney said the National Economic and Social Forum had submitted a report to Government in recent weeks proposing the introduction of a major State investment in childcare and education.
She said the forum had proposed that paid maternity leave be extended to 26 weeks on an incremental basis to 2009.
For children aged 12 to 36 months, the forum has recommended that childcare places be increased, and that the registration and accreditation of childminders be introduced.
Dr Gaffney said this could be funded in part by a capitation grant by the Government.
She said the middle classes would have to pay themselves, but a sliding scale of charges could be introduced for those on lower incomes or with special needs.
She said the National Economic and Social Forum had proposed that by 2010 the Government should establish a universal, free pre-school service for all children aged three. She said initially this should run for 3½ hours every day for 48 weeks of the year.
She proposed that by 2015 this system could be extended to operate for the two years before the child started primary school.
The forum submission to Government maintains that the introduction of the universal free pre-school session would cost €136 million annually. The phased introduction of the extended maternity benefit would cost €12.6 million annually.
Dr Gaffney said we had to get away from the concept that parents were totally responsible for young children.
The Government had to accept there was a role for the State in dealing with those aged zero to six years, in the same way as in a previous generation Donogh O'Malley had seen that there was a role for the State in second-level education.
She said the State would generate major returns by investing in quality early education programmes.
International research showed that, for every dollar spent on early education, seven were saved on later expenditure.
Dr Gaffney also maintained that "the argument was now settled" on whether children were harmed by being placed in childcare rather than being at home.
She told the conference: "Irrespective of the amount of time in childcare and the age of entry, the proportion of children with secure emotional attachment was exactly the same at 62 per cent as those reared at home by their mother".
Minister of State for Health with responsibility for children Brian Lenihan said the National Children's Office had also drawn up a paper for Cabinet on childcare. He said that when people criticised State investment in childcare they should consider that Ireland was running up to 55 years behind other countries, such as those in Scandinavia which began national childcare programmes in the 1940s.