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

We are in the pre-budget period and I am sure the Minister will not tell me what her capital funding plans are today. Some childcare providers are fully subscribed and there is a capacity issue coming down the tracks in the ECCE scheme. The Minister successfully allocated capital funding in recent years. Is this funding sufficient? Could more capital funding be found to address capacity, which is a serious concern? I raised previously with the Minister the problem faced by a crèche in Mountbellew, which offers full-time childcare and required another room. I have encountered similar cases in Clarinbridge and other parts of my constituency, but the problem is not unique to Galway East. Full-time childcare providers face capacity issues and would like to be able to access funding to expand. Is the Minister considering increasing capital expenditure in next year's budget to fund the expansion of childcare facilities?

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