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

I hope so, too. I welcome all of the good work the Minister has done, but I still have concerns about lone parents and families with one income. That is why I have raised this question which I know the Minister understands. For a two-income family childcare costs are a little less of a burden. As the Minister gets ready for next year's budget, is she making any provision for the single income family? I am thinking of the trainee nurse or beautician with a child who needs access to care. If these persons cannot afford it, or if they are at a certain stage of their career progression or in education, will there be a mechanism under which we can support and encourage them into the workforce? Their income might be below a particular threshold, but they will still need to be able to access full-time childcare. Consideration must be given to them. I would love to hear the Minister's response in that regard.

The Minister is planning to launch a campaign which will involve myGov.ie. We have to make people aware of why they have to sign up to the website and the need to use it and tell them that it will prohibit them if they are not registered on time. There are so many families who are not registered on it. How will the Minister's Department communicate this message to families to encourage them to sign up? It is important that they follow the process and sign up in advance. If we wait until next September to do it, the system will crash.

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