Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is correct to identify the amount of work that has had to be done in the childcare sector over the past ten years, where, ten years ago the Government spent nearly nothing on this sector. We are now spending, I believe, €716 million, with a doubling of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme of childcare places and a real focus, that has had to be there, on the regulatory standards around that sector. There were some very good childcare providers and childminders but very many that were not. We have seen that in quite distressing ways over the past ten years and a very significant amount of work has had to be done.

Coming directly to this issue with the Minister, Fine Gael did an extensive consultation piece with thousands of parents and childminders, as he is aware, in its Care of the Child document. The two big issues that emerged from this were, of course, cost, which we are aware of and flexibility. The Minister said himself this morning that listening to parents and to what they need enables the flexibility that can can be built in for them in any model. That may be in childcare facilities themselves or with childminders in order to be able to build choice and flexibility into a model, particularly recognising how people’s working lives have changed and their needs are now different.

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