Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Two parents working on the average industrial wage will get €20 a week towards the cost of childcare. The increase in the cost for the crèche I mentioned, because of Tusla’s requirements for that crèche, is greater than that. The cost is now up to about €1,200 a month, which is mind-boggling. On that specific issue the parents would like to meet the Minister because that crèche was registered for 70 children in 2016. Now the parents have been told in the middle of the year that is too many. That is a specific problem.

They also want to discuss the wider issue of the cost which is not sustainable. The lack of places in our area is shocking. For example, as part of the planning permission for the huge residential development on the site of the old Dún Laoghaire golf club where there are thousands of new residences, there was to have been a major childcare facility. That never appeared. Crèches are full to capacity, too expensive and there are not enough places. We really need quite radical and urgent action to address that.

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