Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is possible for the Department to provide additional funding for these settings to take on additional staff. However, maintaining them through their own income either involves cutting some services or increasing fees. These are services that service disadvantaged areas. If there is not going to be a commitment to an additional long-term funding for additional places, it will not be sustainable for those settings to maintain those staff and settings. They will focus on ECCE and ACS schemes. Some of the zero to three years services will lose out. Will the Minister introduce sustainability measures for the long term to ensure that services will remain open? Will she take into account the additional need per child for increased payments? Will she meet with myself and the other Deputies from my constituency to discuss the specific issue that was raised at that meeting yesterday?

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