Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. We are all on the one page. We all know the significance and importance of early childhood care and education. It is a wonderful service. It needs ongoing money and support. The benefits of an equal start and support for families and children in their communities are enormous.

I take on board what the Minister of State has said about the CCC and that it will now reach out to the Taney preschool to see what can happen. I ask that the Minister of State bring the matter back to the relevant Minister and that a meeting be set up in a matter of days, not weeks, with the Taney project to see how we can avert its closure and how we can give it the necessary support, whatever that support is. Let us not precondition anything.I ask that officials and the CCC meet representatives of Taney preschool in the hope of securing the future for the people of Taney and Dundrum, south County Dublin, who want the service to continue. We are all supportive of it and see its benefits. I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue today and giving us his response.