Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to return to the issue of childcare and early years education as currently early years educators, parents and providers are up in arms because childcare is not working for them. We hear from many parents about the shortage of places nationwide, expensive fees and providers closing their doors. I have a constituent who is still waiting to hear from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth about whether a mechanism even exists to deal with her complaint of a failure to freeze fees by her crèche. We in the Labour Party acknowledge and support progress being made towards greater State investment in childcare but it is too slow. We are very concerned about the lack of progress on the promised further reduction in fees for parents. Last month, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, confirmed that parents cannot expect the promised 25% further reduction. Today, on "Morning Ireland", he did not say one way or the other whether that reduction would happen. There is still time for the Government to make a positive U-turn on a reduction of fees for parents. We believe the Government should set out a clear pathway to a universal public system of childcare.

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