Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wholeheartedly welcome this change in the legislation for the not-for-profit sector, particularly because it serves many people who cannot afford to pay for early childhood care and education. The State has provided only one free pre-school year, which is educational. Education should be provided from the womb to the tomb, but particularly between the ages of three and six, as it is in every other European country. I welcome the amendment which helps the people who really need the early childhood pre-school care and education because they cannot afford it.

The sector could be divided between the for-profit part, which covers the ages from four to six and the early childhood part, the crèches, which do not make a profit. One could say the people who work there do so voluntarily to provide what the State should provide as other states in Europe do. Sweden provides 33%. Those providers should get some recognition. If the for-profit providers were analysed it would be found that the care for three to six year olds makes a profit but the care for nought to three year olds does not. A specific recommendation from the troika this year was to ensure that Ireland had more child care. This is one of the ways we must go about it. Let me not do down the good announcement for the not-for-profit sector but there is more to do.