Dáil Debates - By Topic

[Topical Issues] I thank the Minister for taking this important debate. The affordability and accessibility of child care has been brought to my attention - and, I am sure, the Minister's attention - time and again by parents, professionals working in the area and various early childhood sector sta...

Vol-847 Book-1 Page [56]

[Topical Issues] I thank the Deputy. I welcome very much the publication of this report, which provides most useful comparisons on the structure and organisation of early childhood education and care in the countries that comprise the European Union. This most comprehensive report has only recentl...

Vol-847 Book-1 Page [57]

[Topical Issues] While I welcome the fact that the Government acknowledges that much progress was made during the past 15 years, during the past three years, unfortunately, the Government has pursued an anti-family agenda. Last week, the one-parent family payment cut-off was reduced to seven years ...

Vol-847 Book-1 Page [58]

[Topical Issues] The expenditure of €260 million annually cannot be regarded as lip service. Deputies will be aware of the very stringent financial parameters within which we are operating. I accept the Deputy's point that the Donegal report is a most valuable piece of evidence and it feeds into t...

Vol-847 Book-1 Page [59]

[Topical Issues] I thank the Minister for attending to take this Topical Issue debate and the Ceann Comhairle's office for giving me the opportunity to raise what is an important matter that has been debated for the past ten or 15 years, namely, the high cost of child care. The financial strain pla...

Vol-878 Book-3 Page [704]

[Topical Issues] I am pleased to answer the Deputy and outline the Government's position on child care. I thank him for his question.
High-quality and well-structured investment in the early years of a child's life is widely recognised as being one of the most strategic investments we can make wi...

Vol-878 Book-3 Page [705]

[Topical Issues] I thank the Minister for his response. The crux of the matter is that our child care costs are among the most expensive in the world; we are up there with the US. It costs €2,000 per month for two children in a crèche, which is a shocking indictment.
We are told that the country...

Vol-878 Book-3 Page [707]

[Topical Issues] I thank the Deputy. People often speak about the Government spending 0.2% on children when compared with other OECD countries. However, in reality it is more than 0.4%, which is still lower than it should be, when we take into account the moneys spent elsewhere in education, socia...

Vol-878 Book-3 Page [707]

[Oral Answers]...her plans to tackle the high cost of childcare in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [Q. No(s) 10 to Minister for Children and Youth Affairs ]

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [589]

[Questions] What are the Minister's plans to tackle the high cost of child care in the State? This issue seems to have fallen off the Government's agenda but it is one of the most serious issues for young families. We have the highest child care costs in the European Union. It is a second mortgag...

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [589]

[Questions] Reducing the cost of child care is a key priority for me and for the Government. We have a number of commitments in the programme for Government relating to enabling access to high-quality and affordable child care, including subvention of child care for nine to 36 month old children. ...

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [589]

[Questions] As with the previous Government, every time the issue of child care costs is raised the Government trots out the subject of the free preschool year. That scheme benefits parents who have children from the ages of three to five. Unfortunately it does not benefit anybody else. Children ...

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [589]

[Questions] I thank Deputy Coppinger. I identified those statistics and numbers again because that investment is reducing the costs of child care. Clearly that is not enough and I absolutely agree with the Deputy on that point. I agree that the scheme works for families with children from the age...

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [590]

[Questions] I hope the Minister will come up with something more imaginative then just the free preschool year, welcome as it is. After that provision is made, families still have to pay huge amounts in child care costs.
Ironically, the Government spends approximately €260 million per year on chi...

Vol-9180 Book-5 Page [590]