Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There is sustained engagement between officials in my Department and representatives of SIPTU and of the new body, Childhood Services Ireland, which has been set up under the auspices of IBEC. I cannot give the Deputy a specific date today, although I would love to be in the position to do so. Nevertheless, there is sustained engagement and I hope that in a short number of months, we will have a clear indication of where we are going with that process. It is fundamental, which is why we are putting such efforts into providing it. It is one part of a wider issue, however, and the funding model will be important as well. There will be clarity on the funding model and key information from the expert funding group in the middle of next year, which can then inform my negotiations for budget 2022.

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