Ms Bernie McNally:

We are working with Seas Suas. All the sectoral organisations had concerns that there would not be sufficient funding from parents or the State to make them viable. To give an example of how we have addressed that concern, the Department normally spends €28 million on the childcare sector in July and August. This year, the package that is available is €75 million, as Deputies have heard previously. There is significant extra money going into the sector in the knowledge that some parents will not return and, as such, the sector is losing parental fees. That package of measures is expected to be sufficient. To begin to make a profit, providers will need to get either 40% of parents back or maybe 20% and charge some kind of retention deposit for July and August. In general, if they get some form of income from approximately 40% of parents, the package we have put in place will allow them to start making a reasonable profit.