Is the Minister aware the national childcare website does not list fees for childcare providers for the year 2021, the key year against which fees are benchmarked for core funding? Will the Department rectify this as a matter of urgency? The Labour Party has submitted at least four parliamentary questions over the past year but the Minister and the previous Minister have failed to provide an answer.

Sentiment score: -0.18

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. The Minister will appreciate the Labour Party has frequently asked her and the previous Minister about this in parliamentary questions and parents have been told to go to their local childcare committees for historic fees, go to the national childcare website or contact the NCS directly for the fees. Parents have already gone down those three routes to access fees. A response to a parliamentary question from my party leader, Ivana Bacik, on 29 September 2024 stated the Department would endeavour to have these fees publicly available as soon as possible. A timeframe on the short term and long term would be gratefully appreciated. There is no opportunity for somebody who had a child in preschool in 2021 to understand whether that childcare facility is now charging more or charging less. There is nothing to base it on.

Sentiment score: 0.28

I appreciate that. It would be great if the Minister could clarify the position. We have the figures for 2021, although the website might not be working to its full capacity because it is a brand new website and, as the Minister said, it has been designed for the current 2023-24 price for childcare. Do we have the figures for the childcare facilities of 2021? Once the website is fixed, will the figures be available to put up on the website? Are we still looking for the figures or are they available to the Department? The Minister will appreciate that new parents entering the system are presented with a table of fees by the service provider without any context as to whether those fees match what was being charged in 2021.

Sentiment score: 0.18