Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I believe I understand the parameters by which the fee adjustment has been operated but I still feel there is a difference between using the subsidies to mitigate fee increases and reducing the impact on individual families and the real cost of their childcare. A 25% reduction in childcare fees in the household budget in 2023 was meaningful but the 50% reduction last September was significant. We should still honour this. We should examine it in advance of, or along with, the more transformative reforms we have in the programme for Government. I do not think we should leave 17% of families behind in terms of the full scope of subsidies and the impact on the household budget they would provide. For the purposes of today, I am focused on the need to review and increase them initially.

We have stated that there is a commitment to work in partnership with private providers, most of whom are women providing local services that families truly value and depend on. We also need to go beyond our near total reliance on private providers so that all communities have access to services, developing a system of forward planning and the delivery of appropriate childcare infrastructure capable of meeting demand. For now, childcare services need to be funded fairly in order to be viable operations, and parents need the most affordable fees we can provide.

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