Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree we are not spending enough on early years but there is a reason for that. That is because the State only started to invest in childcare in 2008-2009 when the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme was first set up. Prior to that, the State stepped away entirely from the early years sector. When the Deputy compares us with Iceland and Sweden, she is comparing us with countries that have invested in this area for decades. I accept the key premise of the Deputy's question but will she recognise that, in the terms of this Government's term in office and since I came into office, there has been €630 million per year of investment in this area? This year it has gone up to €1.1 billion. There are few areas of Government spending where the graph goes up so quickly in a four-year period. That money is being spent on cutting costs for parents, better pay for the staff, and better sustainability for the providers. There are challenges in all three areas. I did not say this area has been fixed but we need to acknowledge there has been progress and that I, and whoever succeeds me in this role, can continue to build on that progress.

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