Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for not being here earlier. I was dealing with a constituency matter. Turning to constituency issues, many childcare providers in advance of the general election, and certainly in advance of the shutdown, were already speaking about the huge difficulties in staying open because of insurance costs and the administrative burden being shifted onto them, primarily by the Department and its policies.

I want to ask two questions about that. The insurance companies pretended to reimburse private car owners in a deal they appeared to hatch with the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform but they are reneging on their claims with pubs. All of the premises of childcare providers were shut for a number of months so did they get reimbursed insurance costs such that insurance is no longer a worry for them this year? Do childcare providers have an additional administrative burden now in reporting on safety and with the precautions taken in light of Covid-19?