Proposition 51K2769

Projet de loi modifiant l'article 107 des lois coordonnées relatives aux allocations familiales pour travailleurs salariés.

General information ¶

Submitted by

PS | SP MR Open Vld Vooruit Purple Ⅰ

Submission date

Nov. 24, 2006

Official page

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Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

family benefit child care

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld MR

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Discussion ¶

Feb. 1, 2007 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

I am referring to my written report.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ministers, colleagues, the state reform in our country is complex, and the interfaces and therefore potential conflict points with the Communities are numerous. Subsidies for childcare...

( ... )

Mrs. De Block has the word.

I suggest that you cancel the conference...

The subsidisation of childcare by the Fund for Collective Equipment and Services has also been a topic of discussion for years. In addition to the political debate, which must be discussed within the framework of a constitutional reform, which exists about it, since June 2004, a legal debate has arisen by the judgment of the Arbitration Court. This bill has the merit that it develops a legal framework that makes the competence of the federal government acceptable within our constitutional system as it exists today.

This bill clarifies three things. The Fund remains responsible for subsidising four types of child care: out-of-school care, the care of sick children, the flexible care and the emergency care. Thus, the draft underlines the philosophy that the federal government remains competent for childcare, which should enable a better combination of work and family. That policy is seamlessly aligned with the measures the federal government has taken in recent years, in particular in the Generation Pact, to get more people to work. We can hope that after the adoption of this bill, that ambition also concerns women in our society.

Secondly, it becomes clear that, in the first instance, the Fund does not subsidise initiatives that provide childcare, but instead provides an additional allowance per child in favour of the children who are welcomed in one of the above-mentioned types of childcare, although the allowance is paid directly to the adoption initiatives. In this way, we get a kind of third-payer system as we know it in health care. In this way, there is also a clear distinction between the powers of the Flemish, the Wallish and the federal authorities.

Finally, a cooperation agreement does indeed take into account the competences of the Communities and Regions in this regard, thus also allowing to monitor the quality of the initiatives. Not insignificant here is also the financial injection of 150 million euros extra, which the federal government gives to the Fund to be able to subsidize even more initiatives. This also ends the years-long moratorium imposed due to a lack of resources. This is also a very significant improvement.

Especially in terms of extracurricular reception and flexible reception, such a financial injection was absolutely necessary. It is a problem for many parents to find a solution for the accommodation of their children while they work, either immediately before or after school, or at less obvious hours.

The cooperation agreement to be concluded should provide guarantees on quality control.

Mr. Minister, from my party, I would therefore like to ask for the attention to watch over the administrative burden in the further treatment. Many initiatives have both places funded by Child and Family, as well as places funded by the Fund. We must endeavour to minimise the paper store in this area and to coordinate those of the Communities and the federal government, so that the initiatives are less practically burdened by the double authority, as it exists today.

Finally, we have been very pleased to conclude during the discussions in the committee that the previously existing gap in the distribution of subsidies is still largely removed here. We also want to express our appreciation for this.

There is no doubt that many new initiatives can now emerge from the start-up blocks and existing initiatives can get additional places for childcare. As a working mother, I can only say from the VLD that these initiatives will be very welcome.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Minister, colleagues, I think that it is good that the present bill is linked to a proposal of the Flemish Interest, with which we bring the debate back to its essence. I mean the following. The draft, as it now presents, is ultimately the result of a number of decisions of the Arbitration Court. Mr. Minister, you must now, as colleague De Block spoke in the Social Affairs Committee, work out a solution à la belge. I tell you very frankly: for our group – in that sense my presentation will therefore be very short – childcare is indeed a personal matter and therefore integrally belongs to the competence of the Communities. You know that we will continue to divide opinions on this matter.

In the second order, I say very clearly that this should not be inferred incorrectly if we were not in favour of extensive support for high-quality out-of-school care. As a group, we are indeed in favour of this, let there be no uncertainty about it. However, we choose, in the form of the linked bill, a solution by transferring the entire set of powers to the Communities. Indeed, the Communities must therefore assume their responsibilities in this regard.

In that sense, therefore, we will not support the draft, as it is now proposed. We will give a very clear opposition. I look forward to the voting behavior of some colleagues from CD&V and N-VA, who would like to occasionally, when electoral campaigns are coming, point out their Flemish attitude. In particular, I look forward to the voting behavior of those colleagues in the vote on the draft.