Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)

Childcare costs are completely out of control, with many people now paying the equivalent of a second mortgage. A local man who came in to do a job in my office this week stated that most of his wages went towards the €1,400 per month charge for childcare, while his wife's income went towards the €1,600 per month mortgage. In view of the high cost of living, how are families supposed to cope? How are they supposed to survive? Childcare costs in County Wicklow average €11,000 per year per child, while across the border in County Wexford they are up to €9,000 per year. Rents in County Wexford average almost €1,100 per month while those in Wicklow average over €2,000 per month. With mortgage repayments often over €1,600 per month, parents are really struggling.

The figures relating to lone parent vary across my constituency, with disadvantaged pockets of Arklow town hitting up 36%. That is one in three parents. While there are 15 private crèches in the town, there are no community childcare facilities in Arklow according to the Pobal early years maps. There are just ten community childcare facilities in this huge constituency, which stretches from beyond Rathdrum to beyond Kilmuckridge. These are a far more affordable option for low-income families, costing approximately €100 per child per week. By not having these community facilities the Government is disincentivising people to go to work or to go back to work, with some feeling that are better off not working. No barriers like this should exist.

There are long waiting list to get a child a place in a crèche, with some parents putting their names down while the child is still in the womb. Early year educators and providers have been underpaid and undervalued by successive Governments. The Government needs to look at the funding model. It needs to engage with the umbrella group together with the public and to give us a timeframe for an action plan to address the childcare crisis.

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