Government dragging heels on childcare reform
Government dragging heels on childcare reform - The Labour Party
- PQ reveals it will be /2026 before report on a National Agency on Childcare is ready
Labour’s spokesperson on children, disability and equality, Mark Wall TD, has criticised the Government following the revelation in a parliamentary question that the report on the National Agency for Early Learning and Childcare may not be delivered until 2026. Deputy Wall said the delays confirm that Minister Norma Foley is putting a publicly funded childcare system on the long finger. Labour is calling for the immediate publication of a timeline and roadmap to deliver the long-awaited agency and tackle the childcare crisis head-on.
Deputy Wall said:
“Once again, this Government is showing its lack of ambition when it comes to childcare. We now know that it could be 2026 before we see the report into the National Agency for Childcare. This is a key building block towards a public model and that simply isn’t good enough.
“There is no doubt that we need to get the framework right for how a National Agency would operate – that’s a given. But this work has been ongoing since the end of 2023. It cannot and should not take this long. In the meantime, families are stuck with a broken system that leaves parents out of pocket, providers under pressure, and early years professionals burned out and underpaid.
“Parents are already paying the equivalent of a second mortgage, small to medium sized providers are struggling to make ends meet while staff are leaving in their droves. A publicly funded system would ensure equality for children, affordability for parents and fairness for workers.
“The Minister needs to be honest with parents, providers and staff. I am again calling on Minister Foley to provide a timeline for the introduction of a public system and a clear roadmap that has vision and ambition. This plan must have clear actions that will address the costs faced by parents and providers alike while addressing the workforce challenges facing the sector.”
Link to Parliamentary Question: Oireachtas.ie