Free childcare proposal welcome, but questions remain over detail
Issued : Tuesday 7 April, 2009
Statement by Alex White TD
The Labour Party spokesperson on Children Senator Alex White has cautiously welcomed the decision of the government to adopt the Labour Party's proposal for a free year's childcare for pre-school children.
"In a budget that hits working families hard, there is little to praise and much to lament. However, the decision to replace the childcare supplement with a sustainable and sensible system of pre-school childcare is the right way to go.
"A universal system of early childcare along these lines would actually cost less than the combination of funds currently spent on the early childcare supplement and the separate subvention scheme.
"As details of the proposals are beginning to emerge, it seems that the intention is to deliver this scheme through the existing pre-school infrastructure. That makes sense in many ways, but we need to be sure that the capacity is there to provide a service for all of those who are eligible.
"The Labour Party will be monitoring the government's implementation of this announcement to ensure that we achieve a truly universal and high-quality system of childcare in this country."
