Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will cut across Mr. McCarthy as I have two minutes remaining. The discussion so far has understandably been dominated by our response in terms of temporary protection and international protection.

I want to ask a question about the national childcare scheme. The Department has not let the grass grow under its feet in that regard. There has been significant movement on driving down costs for service users. I want to ask about the number of children who are benefiting from those subsidies and where the gaps in the provision are, as in the providers who are not choosing to engage in the national childcare scheme. Where are those gaps? Are they regional? Is there a difference between urban and more rural settings? What steps is the Department taking to try to reach further with the national childcare scheme to ensure the penetration is better?