I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, for coming to the House. I want to talk to her about childcare, particularly in Kilcullen, County Kildare, in my constituency. It was the end of July when I was contacted via email and phone by a number of families in Kilcullen about the lack of childcare in that growing town. I met with a large number of mothers on a very sunny day outside a local community centre. I was immediately struck by their concerns and the problems they were facing. I was informed about the Kilcullen Needs Childcare group following that first meeting and set about finding the extent of the problem facing those mothers and their families, many of whom are new to the town of Kilcullen. In the last two months, that survey has identified 110 families facing childcare difficulties in Kilcullen. This figure translates into 153 children in need of childcare or after-school places in Kilcullen. Kilcullen is a growing town and only last Saturday I was delighted to be invited to the official opening of the field of dreams, which is a brilliant €1 million development by the local GAA club that will future-proof the GAA needs of the town and provide a community walkway, which is already getting great use. However, there is no doubt that there is a problem regarding childcare. This problem will only worsen. Local reporter Brian Byrne reported today in his Kilcullen Diary blog that 74 more homes were seeking planning permission. It is always important in a debate like this to detail the human story, what these families are facing and the pressure they are under in the town of Kilcullen. I want to provide some examples. One mother said her son was three months old. She was still on maternity leave, but she had not yet found a place for him for when she returned to work. She decided to take extra unpaid leave for an additional two months. After this time, she would either need to find a private childminder and see her husband reduce his work hours or for him to become a full-time carer and give up his career, as they were unable to afford a full-time childminder. They were on more than ten waiting lists and had to apply outside the county, too. Another mother said her baby was not born yet, but she already knew she would have to travel outside Kilcullen for childcare until a place opened up for their little one. It makes things much trickier for work and socially for their child, whom she wants to be with the kids she will be going to school with when she grows up. Another mother says she has a six-year-old son and is struggling to find an after-school place for him. Her partner has a full-time job and she had to quit her job to take care of their son due to the lack of after-school places for him. I could go on and on. In total, we had 110 families experiencing childcare problems in this town. I have previously spoken with the Minister for children in relation to this problem, and she is aware of it. I have raised it at every opportunity I can and the community group continues to raise it with every public representative in the Kilcullen area. What we need to see is an intervention by the Government for public childcare places to relieve the problem. We cannot continue to build houses in the town of Kilcullen unless we have the childcare provided there. Another mother told me she was considering leaving the town because the only childcare she could get was some 70 miles away where she was actually born. She travels three days a week in order to avail of that childcare.

Sentiment score: -0.05

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. She is right; it is a problem in County Kildare and a problem throughout the State, but it is particularly bad in the town of Kilcullen. Nowhere else that I know of has 110 families facing childcare difficulties in the one town. The population of Kilcullen is just over 4,000, so one can imagine the percentage of families seeking childcare. I have given the Minister of State some examples, and she is right about them almost all being women. Women are giving up their work and careers. We had physiotherapists and gardaí at that meeting who now have to give up their jobs. That is going to have an knock-on effect for us all and all our communities if it happens. As the Minister of State and I know, the waiting list for physiotherapy is long and the need for gardaí around the country is great at the moment. If these women give up, we will all be in trouble. It will add to our social problems right around the country. I welcome that the Minister of State may be in a position to set up a meeting with the Minister, Norma Foley. I have already made her aware of this but, unfortunately, we have not had any progress in identifying a centre to cater for these families and the 153 children. The Minister, Deputy Foley, suggested using primary schools and the school setting for after-school services. I am not sure if that is an option in Kilcullen, but it is something we should pursue, because this is an emergency. I cannot, as a public representative, not bring this to the attention of the Minister of State or the Minister. Kilcullen is a fabulous town. There is a great community spirit in it. However, when there are new people coming to the town who, within six months, say they have to leave because of the childcare problem, it is an issue we all need to get involved in. I welcome the Minister of State's response. I look forward to meeting the Minister, Deputy Foley, as would the families and the Kilcullen Needs Childcare group, because we need action for the families living in the town.

Sentiment score: -0.01