Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have been trying to get Governments to slash childcare fees for years. Let me put some of the facts here because the Minister spoke about delivering. In the past four years, half of which he has been in government and Deputy O'Gorman has been the Minister responsible, childcare fees in Dublin have increased by 20%. This is what the Government is delivering. It is not delivering the cuts we need to see. I will put it very clearly. Sinn Féin has a very clear policy on this. We can cut childcare costs by two thirds for families. The Minister spoke about delivering no increases in September. We need to see substantial reductions. We need ambition. Families know. This is why they are spilling onto the airwaves on "Morning Ireland" or on local radio stations. They are being fleeced by the cost of childcare. It is the highest in Europe. It is one of the highest in the OECD. I ask the Minister again. We put forward a proposal to slash childcare costs by two thirds. The ambition is there in Sinn Féin. My question is whether the ambition is there in government to meet it. This can be done. The budget is the time to do it in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

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