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

Yes. I am wrapping up now. The policy papers which were used to develop the ECCE scheme and this scheme were based on a calculation related to the report, Breaking Point, which already reflected a system which was, as the report describes, at breaking point. That was an unsustainable point at which to begin and the Department should recognise that.

My final point before I hand over to my colleague - and the Minister will not be surprised to hear me say it - is that in the medium to long term we need to move beyond simply subsidising private providers. If we are taking this seriously as an educational service, we need to move towards a public system and a publicly funded system. We will not achieve that immediately, but it is the direction in which we must move.

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