Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07
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Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP), Dún Laoghaire

I suspect quite a few people voted for Fine Gael in the most recent election because it promised that it would reduce childcare costs for everybody to €200 per month. It has spectacularly failed to deliver on that promise, which is a very serious cost-of-living issue for many. To give the Minister one instance, this week, in my area, I have been inundated by emails from parents whose crèche provider has pulled out of core funding. To cite one case, their monthly fees have gone from €1,500 up to €2,400. They are already paying a mortgage; that is now a double mortgage. There are many others like them. The Government said it is going to deliver 800 State-led crèche places. One of those crèches is in my area of Shanganagh. It is now very clear that those places are not going to be €200 either, despite the Government's promise. When is it going to deliver childcare costs of €200 per month for everybody? At the moment, it is failing a lot of parents very seriously.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-07