The Nationalist Party always believed in giving people choice and wanted this to be the case in childcare services too, the Prime Minister said yesterday.

We don’t want everyone to be limited to State-run or sponsored facilities

Drawing a parallel with Labour’s plans –to introduce a free childcare system for all working parents – Lawrence Gonzi said that his party’s proposal to give out vouchers for childcare services was superior because it left parents free to make their own decisions.

“We don’t want everyone to be limited to go to State-run or sponsored childcare facilities.

“We want the private sector to continue to invest in this area and to offer parents a real choice on where and which service they want for their children,” Dr Gonzi said.

The PN’s is proposing to dedicate €5 million annually for this system, which will be available for all children, both for pre-school and post school facilities.

The Prime Minister said that, unlike Labour’s proposal, which would be available only to full-time working parents, the PN wanted the vouchers to be given to parents working on a part-time, flexi-time or a reduced hours’ system. Parents who were studying would also be entitled to them.

Dr Gonzi referred to the PN’s proposal to allow parents to use sick leave when they had to look after their unwell children.

He argued that the measure would discourage abuse because working parents would be aware that they might need the entitlement should their children get ill.

In addition, he felt that the system would also increase loyalty towards one’s employer.

Taking Labour to task, Dr Gonzi asked why the PL had not yet announced its electoral programme and was instead coming out with half-baked proposals every day.

He said that the PL must be the first political party in the world that, mid-way through an electoral campaign, had not yet published its electoral programme.

“After five years begging for an election, we are seeing that Labour is not yet in a position of showing us its electoral programme,”he said.

“Labour is already showing that it has no real plan and, instead, it is coming out with half-baked proposals every day.

“This is already reminding us of how Labour used to manage the country on a day-by-day basis and without a real plan.”

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