Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that fulsome reply and the genuine approach he is taking to this issue. Like anyone in this Chamber, I very much welcome the Together for Better model but I do have a concern. The Minister mentioned that 93% of providers have taken up the model, but that is not the case in my constituency, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, where the uptake is 81%. There is an issue there and it needs to be addressed, regardless of who is co-ordinating what. I humbly ask that the Minister consider meeting childcare providers without any preconditions. Let us just have those discussions and see if we can address those key concerns. The people who are suffering, from my point of view, are those who are coming to my clinics and contacting my office. They are the parents and guardians who rely on these brilliant services and who have to take days off work, completely change their schedules or cancel medical appointments. They do not want politics; they want a solution.

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