Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will add to what my colleague has been saying. The most expensive years are probably the years when someone heads off to college. As many people now will no longer be living on campus because of the shortages of college accommodation, they will be commuting. The costs are astronomical for parents. If you are below a certain income threshold, there are many really good supports that the Department of Social Protection provides. If you are wealthy, you can ride out those financial years that are quite difficult. However, this is a matter of the squeezed middle.

I would also make the point that, while the Minister might not have to face this decision in the next 12 months, by design this will have to happen at some stage. I say this because now children are starting primary school at six years of age because of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme. They will soon be leaving primary school at 14 years of age. They will soon be finishing secondary school at 20 years of age. They will soonipso factobe finishing third level at 24 years of age. Therefore, at some point in the future, this support will have to be stretched out. Now that we are taking in a little more in the tax net, it would be a lovely thing if we could do it now. What it would mean for families would be incredible.

Finally, I pay tribute to the Minister's colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien. He came down to a very difficult situation in Clare last week at Magowna House. A tightrope had to be walked. It was appreciated. A lot more has to be done but I wish to recognise that on the record of the Dáil.

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