Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Taoiseach about the issue of childcare in Ballincollig in Cork or, more precisely, the lack thereof. Cork City Council recently turned down planning permission for a crèche. Does the Taoiseach know how many disappointed parents had their names on the list for a place? The answer is 400. One of those 400 parents was on unpaid leave at the time. She will now have to quit her job to look after her child. Another disappointed couple will have to carry on driving 27 km each way every day for childcare outside Ballincollig. It is the only facility they can get. In the next decade, Cork will be the fastest growing city in the State and Ballincollig will be one of the city's fastest growing areas. What does the Government intend to do now to resolve the childcare crisis in Ballincollig and other population centres like it?

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