Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reject the Deputy's comments, as for the first time an early years strategy is in place. I remind the Deputy it is the first time there has been a national early years policy. It is the first time in recent years that a group has been established to specifically examine the sector and to make a series of recommendations that effectively will form the framework for the recommendations on how the child care sector will be developed. Clearly, as the economic situation improves and as the Government deals with the mess it has inherited in respect of Ireland's economic sovereignty, investment in child care is one of the key areas that must be prioritised.

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