Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not expect the Minister to give away budget secrets but it is good to hear the trajectory he is on. I suppose the proof of the pudding will be in budgets in years to come because he is right in that significant investment is being made. Nevertheless, significantly more investment must be made. The EWSS in the childcare sector has given us a taste of what a significant State investment in the staffing costs of childcare providers could do. I welcome its extension and I would like to see it extended further until other arrangements are put in place.

The Minister is also correct that we must also have proper management and governance. The community childcare model is the place to start in this regard. The Minister has, very kindly, met several different childcare providers from Ballymun and Finglas, comprising a range of different models. It was very clear that negotiating that patchwork quilt of different schemes for different sectors is a nightmare. We must move to a model that is far simpler and more targeted at those areas that need such resources.

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