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Pringle: Cost and availability of childcare a major issue at the doors
- Updated: 12th November 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said the cost and availability of childcare has been a major issue for Donegal people at the doors of the canvass, saying, “We cannot keep relying on empty promises from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to fix this.”
Deputy Pringle said: “I have been hearing at the doors from Donegal parents who are struggling not only to be able to afford childcare but simply to find childcare places for their children.
“This is something that has come up at the doors again and again, across Donegal. Parents describe childcare costs as ‘a second mortgage’ when they are fortunate enough even to find a place for their child.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been stumbling over each other to assure the public that childcare is a big part of their election manifestos. That begs the question – why didn’t they make this a priority during their term of government?
“I have been speaking with many constituents in Donegal about childcare challenges they face, and their stories have been shocking. One constituent had to go to another county for childcare; another said there were no SNAs available for their child with additional needs in any of the nearby childcare facilities.
“With the cost-of-living crisis, households often need two incomes to make ends meet and most parents are forced to work, making childcare a necessity. It is a disgrace that they are then faced with a lack of available childcare, particularly if their child has additional needs, and punished with extortionate fees.
“Our childcare sector is in crisis. Childcare providers are struggling with a severe lack of funding and a lack of available qualified staff. Social Justice Ireland reported that one out of every two childcare workers earned below the Living Wage rate for 2021, despite the increasing demands on childcare workers to improve their skills and qualifications.
“We need a government that will listen to the parents and childcare providers and workers who have been raising these issues for a long time.
“We must begin implementing a new model for childcare over the next five years. I have been calling for a State-funded public childcare system, and a move towards a free, universal system, such as exists in Finland.
“I have also called for an interim phased approach, such as the successful Norwegian model, which would see fees capped at low, affordable rates, with state subsidies. This approach would ensure decent wages and other improved conditions for staff, and greater affordability for families.
“We cannot keep going as we have, relying on empty promises from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” he said.
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