Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the financial implications but if the child falls into that January category, the parent ends up footing the bill for the difference even though he or she was technically within the rules, that is, that we would give two years ECCE to all children. We are looking at approximately 58,000 children. It is not 58,000 children who will be impacted by any manner or means. It is a cohort of children who are that age. If we say we are giving ECCE to all children and that we are doing early intervention, we should give them that opportunity. We would be giving a little control back to parents. Also, if childminders or childcare providers in crèches know that flexibility is there, which the Minister is talking about the possibility of, is now not the time to iron it out and to have the conversation from the start to the end so that we can give that clarity to parents?

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