Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)

I obviously am going to welcome any increases in budget and she is right when she says there are pockets across the country where the demand is far in excess of the places that are available. In County Louth we have 114 childcare services but only 31 of those offer places for children under the age of two. That equates to less than 30%. While maternity leave has been extended, for a family that needs one or both parents to go back to work unpaid maternity leave is of no benefit as they have bills to pay and they need to keep the show on the road. In addition, and despite the advances with men's involvement in family life, an issue that affects women more than men is parents who want to go back to work and progress in their careers while at the same time being able to place their children in care facilities where they are cared for, thereby allowing the parents to go back out to work.

11 o’clock

Do we have a timeline for addressing these issues because it is not really acceptable to be below the 30% mark?

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