The results of a survey of parents in Kildare have been published, the majority of whom do not have access to childcare in September. What those results mean is that a number of parents are not able to go back to work. They are having to reduce their hours or give up their jobs because they simply cannot access a fairly basic service in a very fast-growing county. We are seeing significant issues in Kildare regarding capacity and conditions for the workforce. While we still seem to be no closer to that €200 per month commitment, I really welcome the State-led pilot. It has the potential to do something really positive but I think we would all agree that is in the medium to long term. What can I say to these parents in Naas, Kilcock, Maynooth and Celbridge who really have no option but to give up their job because they cannot access this childcare service?

Sentiment score: 0.19