Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the shortage of childcare places particularly in Lucan and Newcastle. I have been contacted by parents who cannot find a place for their child and are met with really long waiting lists. Sadly, in some cases, this means that one parent, invariably the mother, decides to change her working hours because she cannot find appropriate childcare.

I have also been contacted by a number of childcare providers who are disappointed in the funding they are due to receive under the new ECCE core funding model. They said that it will not cover the increase of fuel costs, never mind the much needed wages increase for trained staff. Parents in my constituency cannot access the childcare they need. Some childcare providers, who were so grateful for the support of the Government that allowed them to keep their doors open during the pandemic, are saying that they may have to shut their doors. What will the Government do to support parents and the industry more?

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