Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)

It is nearly two years. There has to be a sense of urgency by this unit. We need to see a plan from it and we need to see a clear timeline as to when we are going to see outputs. I am not asking for the specifics but I am asking to make sure this Department is delivering. Two years is simply not good enough. People who need childcare are putting off their lives and quitting jobs. They are not participating fully in the workforce. We have discussed this before but female participation in the workforce has been one of Ireland's biggest economic drivers in the past 40 years. Childcare is an essential economic infrastructure. We have to move with a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, I do not see it coming from this unit. I appreciate internal work takes time. There are ways to get around GDPR with data sharing agreements, etc. We know the areas that are the youngest in the country and we know the areas that need to be prioritised. Why is it taking two years?

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