Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was part of the Government's solution to tackling the affordability issue and the Minister has alluded to the abysmal uptake. I have seen figures that showed only 32 of the 6,000 earmarked places were taken up. In his reply the Minister said he is refocusing the €14 million allocated to the scheme towards other schemes. How much of the €14 million has been spent on the scheme, how much has been diverted to other schemes and what are those schemes? Child care affordability is a serious issue and the Minister alluded to the fact that the cost of child care is a barrier to those who wish to take up employment. It is clear that the scheme has not worked. How much of the €14 million will be ring-fenced to improve affordability and to what schemes will it be diverted?

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