Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When I reference referendum commissions, I have been through it in the past. Once an allegation is made that a referendum commission is not allowed to do its job, that increases suspicion about what they are at and what the elite are at by putting a referendum on citizens when it has not been fully explained, and whether they are covering something up. That is my point.

We have improved the credits as well in terms of home care credits, tax reliefs, the carer's allowance and so on. Finally, on that overall point, €11 billion was allocated in the last budget in a cost-of-living package. Even that did not enable us to do everything. Obviously, it was a once-off package. Childcare is getting there. It is a very difficult area because of the multiplicity of providers and how it began in the first instance. It did not begin like our primary school system did. There are private, community and State providers. However, it is getting there over time. As I have said, we have gone from providing €0.5 billion to €1 billion in funding. We need to do more in terms of almost getting to a stage where money is not a barrier to accessing childcare. Even with the improvements we have made, we need to do more, but I think we are getting there. In politics we want to be everywhere, but sometimes we need to say that we will deal with one issue, such as childcare, over the next two or three years. That is how to respond to citizens' assembly recommendations. We might not cover everything optimally but do we deal with the childcare issue once and for all? In the past two years we have taken steps towards that. I think the employment regulation order was very important. I think that having terms and conditions in childcare for workers is vital to retain people and to create a career in childcare for workers.

I do not know if I am permitted to respond to Deputy Tóibín's points.