Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister envisage investing more in the national childcare scheme to bring down the costs directly for parents? This is what Sinn Féin had proposed with our €10 per day plan, which is around €200 per month. This is using what is there with the current mechanism as the quickest way to bring down the costs of childcare. While the Government repeatedly tells us that the costs of childcare have halved there are families still paying well over €1,000 a month for childcare. Parents are really struggling to cover the costs.

Accessibility was mentioned. Of course accessibility is just as important as affordability because it is fine if one can afford it, but one must be able to access it in the first place. Pobal has told us that 30,000 children are on waiting lists for childcare places, and many of these places just do not exist. We need to look at quick ways we can bring costs down and quick ways to grow the numbers of places available. Is it through the national childcare scheme that the Minister would look to reduce those costs, as she has done to date?

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