Dáil debates
Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Other Questions
Early Childhood Care and Education
11:35 am
Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source
I accept what Deputy Rabbitte is saying that clearly there are certain areas where capacity is not completely being met. My answer initially was generally in terms of the way we are planning and delivering. The difficulty and challenge has to do with the demand. Who can ever predict how many children will be born etc. except that we do our best? There are predictions but how accurate they are and how well we can work in each county and each context with the needs of each particular crèche and provider is the issue. I appreciate that. I am not necessarily saying that there are not places and times such as the incident Deputy Rabbitte mentioned or the one in Deputy Smyth's vicinity as there will be those problems, but the best we can do is to engage, to hear that and to see how to resolve that - as the Deputy knows there can be lots of different reasons why capacity cannot be extended in those different settings - and that is the promise I make and I know the way my officials continue to work with others.
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