Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

What are the Minister's plans to tackle the high cost of child care in the State? This issue seems to have fallen off the Government's agenda but it is one of the most serious issues for young families. We have the highest child care costs in the European Union. It is a second mortgage for many families. A crèche place in Dublin, for example, can cost €998 a month compared with €280 in Finland, Norway, France, Spain, Belgium and Germany. The reason for this problem is the lack of investment.

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