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

The Deputy has raised the issue of ECCE-only service providers with me on a number of occasions. We continue to examine the concerns raised by some of these service providers. I made the point before that only a small number, amounting to 1%, will see no change in their funding allocation. The vast majority of ECCE service providers will see additional money coming into them as a result of core funding. I reiterate that we are dealing with year 1 of core funding now. The money we invest in education and childcare will have to increase. The reason childcare is so expensive in this country is that we invest much less than other European countries. The Government has an objective to invest at least €1 billion by 2028 and I believe that will be achieved, although probably not by this Government. We are moving quickly towards achieving that. More investment means more money for all services across the sector and less costs for parents.

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