Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. The major thing that emerged from the Pobal report is that fees are too high and wages are too low despite the Minister's efforts. I accept that she has made some major efforts in this area. Despite that, the cost of childcare continues to rise. The average cost has increased by 2.2%. A situation seems to have arisen where subsidies chase fees, which is unsustainable. While the targeted subsidies are welcome, the majority of families are still paying the equivalent of a second mortgage and there are major problems retaining staff. Another concern of mine is that 98% of people working in this sector are women. The Minister has said that she is committed to a new radical funding model. Can she tell us what this model is because at the moment, we are just getting more of the same? Will this model address wages and high fees?

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