Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I have always been strongly committed to the provision of child care and, in this case, the provision not just of preschool care during school hours but after-school care as well. It is important that we have ambitious targets for Ireland. Models exist in other countries; during the passage of the legislation we had a discussion about how other countries dealt with lone parent issues. For example, in Northern Ireland, where the Deputy's party is in government, the cut-off age has been seven for a long time. In several years, we will establish the same cut-off age in the Republic. The Deputy does not seem to have a problem with the cut-off age of seven North of the Border.

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