Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

Does the Minister remember the promise of €200-per-month childcare that vanished into thin air, which he and Fine Gael promised before the election? The problem is that there is no childcare available to parents in any case. In the Blakestown area of Dublin West, we hear that Ready, Steady, Learn, a not-for-profit early learning childcare service catering for 43 children, could close. A parent from the Blanchardstown-Castleknock area contacted me who is a full-time working parent and despite best efforts cannot get any after-school care for her daughter.

Does the Minister agree that private or for-profit childcare cannot work? Can you run a school or college at a profit? No, you cannot, and you cannot do it with childcare either. Parents, the children or the workers will end up paying for the Government's broken promises and lack of investment.

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