Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Ní Sheaghdha and Mr. Bell for appearing before the committee today. Shortly after the beginning of the Covid crisis, the Taoiseach and other Ministers made announcement after announcement that the childcare issue for front-line health workers was to be resolved. No matter how often the promise was publicly announced - in some cases the public were told it would be resolved in days - nothing happened.

Nurses and front-line staff were ringing me asking what they could do with their very young children. This was highly frustrating, challenging and deeply stressful for each and every parent. I sincerely sympathise with the front-line workers for the way they were treated. They were putting their lives on the line for their country while also having the stress and worry of wondering how they could resolve their childcare crisis at home, bearing in mind most of these had grandparents who were often cocooning.

It is clear from talking to many of these front-line workers that they felt they were left on their own. In many cases there were couples who were both front-line workers and the inability of the Government to resolve the childcare crisis for them meant that in a few situations one of them had to pull out of work and stay at home, which in itself was a huge loss for the front line. Many others had to send their children to relatives and friends many miles away and went without seeing their children for weeks on end. How did we get this so wrong, in Ms Ní Sheaghdha's view?