Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That has been the difficulty for so many years. There has not really been a strategy. I always refer to the additional child benefit payment that used to be paid. At one point that was seen as the solution. Then it was decided to build purpose-built facilities. While they all had a role to play, there was no proper overall strategy, and at the end of all that paying the price were the providers, the workers, the parents and, ultimately, the children, which is what this is all about. Yes, I can be sceptical myself sometimes of reports and reviews. They can sometimes sound like an excuse, a talking shop or a way to push something down the road. In this case, however, we needed an independent report into the cost of providing childcare. It is long overdue and will be great to get when it is published, so I thank the Minister.

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