Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The reality is that childcare fees are completely unaffordable for many working families. Many people feel that they have been hung out to dry, despite repeated promises that the Government will make childcare affordable. It is almost viewed as a luxury spend and is not really seen as an important issue for families, particularly women to enable them to get back to work.

I have received many emails from people in my constituency who are paying crazy amounts, with some telling me that they are going to have to give up their jobs because it is costing them to go to work. As we all know, this has a knock-on effect, particularly on women who want to participate in the workforce or those who want to return to education. We know now that many people are putting their lives on hold because of it.

The Government is on record as saying that the cost of childcare will decrease by 25% in the budget. I will welcome this if it happens but with the cost-of-living crisis and fees already being sky high, it may be little relief to many families. The Department needs to act and deliver a national fee structure with a clear plan on how it is going to seriously reduce this burden on people.

I find it concerning that the Government has taken a back seat in dealing with the talks on childcare workers' pay. It is a sector that already feels undervalued by Government. If a Sinn Féin Minister was sitting where the Minister is tonight, he or she would cut fees by two thirds based on 2022 levels. We would introduce legislation to ensure fees never reach these crazy prices again. I know the Minister is well-intentioned but fiddling around at the edges rather than tackling the core of this crisis is not going to make the burden currently faced by families any less of a heavy one to carry.

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