Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I meet constituents of my own every day who are dealing with the kind of real pressure which the Deputy has described. I absolutely understand the stress and anxiety it causes people as I know the Deputy also understands. Why do we ask people to pay their taxes? It is because it contributes to the public services that are essential for meeting our citizens' needs. Of course I understand that child care, the rising cost of child care and issues around the quality of child care matter very much at the moment. The Minister, Deputy Zappone, has very good strategies and plans in that area and she is talking to Government about it. The Deputy asks if I have reached agreement with the Minister yet on funding for next year. I have not and I am doing that with everybody at the moment and I would anticipate I have a bit to go yet before that happens.