Childcare Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-23
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Norma Foley (FF), Kerry

I want to acknowledge Deputy Dempsey's personal engagement with me specifically on the areas of early years and childcare and in particular the costs. She can be absolutely assured that we are going into this budget seeking the maximum funding we can to advance the ambition. It is a very clear ambition that is in the programme for Government around the €200-per-month cost, or the €50-per-week. Also part of that is ensuring there is sufficiency of funding that there are enough places available so parents are catered for and also that there are core funding supports available, whether that is for staff, providers or whatever the case might be.
I want to reference the maximum fee caps. That is very significant. These are the cohort of people who are paying the most fees. Once they have the national childcare subsidies included, it will reduce from €198 per week to €183.70 per week. Other elements we have already referenced are the thresholds for the income-assessed subsidy support. Again, that is very significant. The figures specifically for County Meath I will have to find separately for the Deputy but I will make sure she gets them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-23