Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply. The Social Democrats believe that solving the systemic problems facing the childcare sector in Ireland will not happen by doing more of the same. A triple threat is facing the sector. We cannot ignore that any longer. A dearth of places faces children and young people. There is a real capacity issue in many counties. There is also a lack of affordability for parents. The third key piece is very much the issue of compensation and benefits for a sector that is providing such a crucial component and role for our society - we are seeing a recruitment and retention crisis play out before our eyes.

The 2021 partnership for the public good report acknowledged that early years and childcare is a public good, yet we continue to rely solely on the private market to meet that public good. Does the Minister agree that the State cannot continue to rely solely on the private sector to address these problems?

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