Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

Access to child care is something we want to preserve and develop. As the Deputy said, the previous Government decided about three years ago to close down the capital funding in the area. Nevertheless, we must continue to address the issue, and at the very least be aware of the demands that exist given our increased population and increasing birth rate. We need to be sensitive to the demands in this area. I am keen that we have a rigorous analysis of what the demands are going to be. That is one response to what the Deputy said. Perhaps he will correspond with me directly on the other matter and I will examine it.

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