Ms Bernie McNally:

There are two challenges facing school-age childcare services. The first is the ratio of staff to children. As the Secretary General stated, we have brought in a ratio of one adult to 12 children. If parents are paying €5 an hour for after-school care, that is an hourly income of €60 for the service, but the staff member is being paid approximately €12 per hour. That leaves quite a significant profit margin.