Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact the Minister has tried to reduce the fees, but some of the larger providers - in the case of the parliamentary questions I have asked the Minister and in this case - such as Safari Childcare in Dublin 8, have brought in a model where they have said to parents they have to avail of the service 52 weeks per year. In other words, parents who do not normally pay for after-school care during the school holidays, because there is no school, are now being told that if they do not do so, their children's places are not secure in the next term. It strong arms the parents into paying more money for childcare. The level of childcare costs in this country is still pretty shocking, compared to the average EU country. Studies have been done which show we are, on a scale throughout the EU, the third highest. That is pretty shocking. We all know of systems and societies where they bring down the costs significantly in some places and do not have them at all in others. There needs to be more than a report-to-Pobal attitude from the Minister's Department about attempts to strong-arm parents in this manner.

See this speech in context