Mr. Kevin McCarthy:

The year in question was 2020, when services were closed as a result of public health restrictions during Covid. There were service closures from March to the end of June. Supports were provided to enable services to reopen at that stage. There were a number of disruptions in service provision over that time. There was also a suspension of the schemes over the course of the year as a result. Even when services reopened, the experience was that, with remote working and parents working from home and so on, the uptake of places was a lot lower than originally anticipated because parents were in a better position to manage their own childcare needs. That was the central reason.