Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I accept everything the Minister said. The owners of this facility say that the core funding model traps services in outdated, frozen fee structures while the cost of delivering quality childcare has continued to rise. I want this scheme to work. I want to make sure that the Minister's engagement with this company works and that we bring them back into the fold. However, the reality is there are parents in my area who are genuinely concerned that they are facing fees in the region of €1,400 per month, per child. It is an astonishing amount. It is a massive burden on parents throughout the country, which is why we all campaigned to bring that down to €200 per child per month. That is what we are trying to do. Does the Minister agree that if the companies are not buying into it - and yes, it is their option to do that - does that not massively compromise our ability to reduce the cost of childcare? They have changed it in respect of three centres but there are 11 in Dublin. Is the Minister not concerned that if she is not successful in engaging with these companies that it will compromise this policy?

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