Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Childcare should be a public service. Adequate childcare should be a help to parents, not be a financial burden. It is often said that childcare is akin to having a second mortgage, with the average cost running from €800 per month and with many parents in Dublin West paying far more than that. The current system is a deterrent for parents, in particular single parents, to take up employment or further education, it is a deterrent to having more than one child and it makes it next to impossible to pay childcare and save for a deposit on a home. It is estimated that a lone parent with two children needs to earn €40,000 to cover the cost of full-time private care. How many are earning that?

Sinn Féin's proposal is to deliver a €10 a day scheme by bridging the gap between this and the actual cost, and it will be done by subsidising providers while implementing fee controls to ensure value money for the State. I spoke to a parent yesterday to outline our proposals. She was completely in shock and asked how this can be delivered, but I told her that it can be if she puts Sinn Féin in there. The private sector in childcare has been given carte blanche to repeatedly put up the price of childcare. Consideration should be given to price caps similar to those in place in Norway, Sweden and Finland. All children should have the opportunity for childcare to aid their intellectual development and interpersonal skills.

Those working in the sector need to be provided for. The Sinn Féin plan would increase the hourly wage of childcare workers by €1.50, with €53.8 million being ringfenced for wages. In the Sinn Féin childcare plan, we have pledged to invest approximately €100 million to allow parents to take leave for the entire first year of a child's life. Again, that year is one of the most important times in a child's life and it is important to have a parent around them in the first year. However, for many people, that is a luxury when it should not be a luxury. It should be something that is seen as normal. This will allow parents to spend more time with their child during the formative years. The plan is fair to parents, children, childcare providers and workers. It is time that the Government got out of the way and let Sinn Féin implement a childcare plan that works for people.

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