Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The children of Ireland, in particular in my home constituency of Carlow–Kilkenny, deserve quality childcare that is accessible and affordable and will give them the best start in life. The key word here is "accessibility" because we have a significant number of providers that are oversubscribed and have waiting lists coming out of their arms. It absolutely needs to be addressed. I acknowledge the significant unprecedented investment and how the previous Government succeeded in reducing childcare costs by 50% on average for families around the country. This is very welcome, but in April last year, an Irish Independent survey found that the average monthly cost for full daycare for one child was between €640 and €880 in Kilkenny and €600 to €800 in Carlow. The programme for Government commits to progressively reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child through the national childcare scheme. Bearing the current price in mind, can the Minister provide any update on this commitment?

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