Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister because this is a major legislative foray for her. I congratulate her and her officials because they have done a stellar job in bringing forward this legislation. To quote from the Minister's own speech on this legislation, it will replace "all existing targeted child care subvention schemes with a single, streamlined scheme that will provide the framework for increasing public investment in child care over the years ahead". Now that the legislation is done and dusted and on a statutory footing, we look forward to marking the Minister, in the most respectful way. We hope that the Minister will be able to deliver further within her Department with regard to bringing resources to this sector at a time when we are being told that greater funding is available in the Exchequer pot. We hope that the Minister will be able to fight her battle internally with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to do even more good work in this space. I congratulate the Minister.

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