Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government's childcare policy is failing. We have had promise after promise and we still see parents paying a small fortune in fees, a perpetual staffing crisis and, every year, parents struggling to find places for their children. These problems are the result of the Government's refusal to invest properly in the sector. Childcare services in many areas right across the State are now at breaking point. As the Minister will know, next week, many childcare centres are going to close their doors for three days, which will leave parents, along with thousands of children, in a very difficult situation. They will be left in the lurch as they desperately search for alternative arrangements so they can simply get to work. This again shows how crucial it is that we begin to move childcare towards being a public service. When will the Government finally change direction and invest properly so that children and families will have the childcare they deserve at affordable prices? Does the Government plan any interventions before the action by childcare providers next week?

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