The National Council debated a bill on Wednesday that aims to permanently enshrine the kick-off funding that the federal government has provided for the creation of childcare places over the past 20 years. The SVP and FDP in particular asked for cuts in vain.
The FDP had even requested not to deal with the matter at all – there was no money for that at the moment. “Because of the accumulated corona debts and also because of the frivolous spending of this parliament, austerity programs in the billions, there is a risk that the constitutional debt brake will be respected,” says Beat Walti (54, Zurich). However, the FDP was divided – women in particular spoke out in favor of further subsidizing external childcare places.
Is the state getting too involved?
While the FDP also brought up the difficult budgetary situation of the federal government during the debate and judged the proposal to be “too generous”, the SVP also had ideological and federalist reasons: on the one hand, it was the task of the cantons and municipalities to provide childcare outside the family, says Nadja Umbricht Pieren (43, SVP). In addition, it is not for the state to determine how families care for their children, which is why only one form of care should not be funded.
However, those concerns fell on deaf ears – although Federal Councilor Alain Berset (50) also warned against excessive generosity and assured parliamentarians that federal finances were “not rosy”. The National Council has decided that the federal government will initially cover up to 20 percent of the average cost of a childcare place; later it may be less. According to estimates by the committee that drafted the law, the initial contribution from the federal government is about CHF 710 million per year.
Parents have to work
The argument that Switzerland needs to do more to reconcile work and family life – also in view of the already serious shortage of skilled workers – gained the upper hand. In this respect, it is consistent that the subsidy is linked to the employment of the parents: the federal government should only support childcare places for children whose parents have a certain amount of work. The Bundesrat decides how high it should be.
In addition, childcare places for children should only be supported until the end of primary school. The bill will now go to the Council of States. (sf)
Source:Blick
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