John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I am not too sure.

The introduction of this scheme, at a cost of €170 million in a full year, has been made possible at this time of extreme economic pressure because the decision has been taken to redirect the savings which will arise from the abolition of the early child care supplement to a targeted and child-centred measure, as has been called for by the sector for many years.

With the changed economic climate, it is no longer possible to sustain the early child care supplement payments. However, despite the economic crisis in which we find ourselves, I am very proud that this historic opportunity has been seized. We will now take this first crucial step in our nation's development of its early childhood care and education system.

From the motion proposed, Fine Gael appears to have major misgivings about the introduction of the free preschool year-----

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