Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. We are moving towards a model where childcare will be largely funded by the State and will be much more affordable for parents. That is something that is welcomed by everybody in this House. Some details will have to be worked out and I am aware of some small providers, in particular, who have a different cost model based on the fact they are small and it costs more to run a small organisation or business per client, per customer or per child than would be the case for a larger business. I know the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, is keen to engage with the sector to try to iron out any difficulties that arise, with a view to keeping services open.

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