The Government is to provide €30 million next year to boost capacity in the childcare sector, Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman has said.
Speaking at the joint Oireachtas committee on children on Tuesday, he said capacity in the sector was a new challenge.
“One of the reasons is that we have made childcare more affordable for parents, so parents want to take it up. I suppose it is a problem caused by our successes elsewhere,” he said. “But capacity is now a central issue.”
The Minister said he would be shortly announcing a new capital funding scheme of €30 million which could be drawn down from early next year. He said this would support either community or private services to expand or build completely new locations.
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Carlow TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor of Fianna Fáil told the committee that there were families who were now having to drive for an hour each way to bring their child to a creche because they could not get a place in their own locality.
“That is one of the biggest issues that I see facing us,” she said. “Speaking to owners and different providers, they all have waiting lists. There are people waiting for a year or more, if not longer.”
She said it was causing huge concern for families. She said people were having to ask their neighbours, family friends, grandparents or parents to mind their child because they could not obtain place in a creche.
Mr O’Gorman said that when he was appointed, the three big challenges in terms of childcare were that parents were paying too much, staff were not earning enough and providers were not making a significant income. He said the Government had done a huge amount of work. He said in September fees for childcare will have been cut by 50 per cent while there have been two pay agreements for staff.
He said the services had been given significantly more money.
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