Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The positive childcare programmes of AIM and Equal Start are targeted services, and they have both come in under budget.

It is a potential red flag for families, considering our child poverty rates, that we are utilising every euro and it is getting to the children who need the most.

On that point as well, was consideration given to an issue I have raised with the Minister before in committee around the means-tested subsidies? I have explained previously how some of the parents that I have met saw their subsidies decrease whenever the fee adjustment was brought in and I wondered whether any consideration was given in the Supplementary Estimate to look at either increasing the thresholds or increasing the subsidies.