‘I will level the playing field for families’

I DON’T have children, my sisters do though, and so too do many of my friends. So I appreciate the juggling that comes with childcare – the rush out of home in the morning, the rush back in the evening, the time away from home, and crucially, deciding whether it’s worth working outside the home at all given the high cost of childcare.

Some of my friends stay home when their children are small.

As Taoiseach, I want to make life easier for families, and providing more affordable childcare is one way of doing this.

This Government has already taken some other steps in the right direction.

We brought in free GP care for children under the age of six, because we know that parents shouldn’t have to worry about GP costs when treating a sick child.

It means the parents of 430,000 children can bring them to the doctor without having to worry about the bill.

I want a more even playing field for every family in this country, for dads and mums. So, as Minister for Social Protection, I was delighted to bring in two weeks of paternity benefit for fathers, giving them some bonding time with their newborns.

I want to help provide greater choice, equality and opportunity for every family in Ireland.

It can’t happen overnight, but I have a clear sense of where I want this country to be in ten years’ time.

To do all of this, we have to support every family, and the introduction of new childcare supports on September 1 is another key step.

I want to be able to extend more childcare supports and parental leave options so that there is greater choice and work does not compete with family time.

Applications open from August 21 for two childcare supports. The first is a targeted scheme which applies to children aged from six months to 15 years.

It will support low income families who need it most and who want to work more, or get back to education, but might struggle to strike a balance with the needs of their family.

The second scheme is available all parents with children aged between six months and 36 months in registered care, who will benefit from up to €1,040 per year. That means every parent with a child in that age group. There is no means test. There’s more information on both at affordablechildcare.ie.

We chose this age group as a priority for universal subsidy because it’s such an expensive time for parents.

Maternity leave ends 24 weeks after the baby arrives, some families take unpaid leave, and some have no option but to go back to work.

So starting from six months old, this subsidy acts as a support bridge for families until their child reaches three years of age. Then children become eligible for two years of free preschool, representing an average saving to families of €4,000 per child.

The Home Carer’s Tax Credit has also been increased in the last two budgets to €1,100 per annum.

In building a Republic of Opportunity for families, I want to enable every person, from every part of Ireland, to achieve their full potential and get an equal chance.

Creating more affordable childcare in Ireland is a priority for my party and for me as Taoiseach.

We cannot achieve it all in one year, but with the benefit of a strong economy, we can invest in childcare and help families with this expensive time.

We are looking at further ways to help, whether that’s through after school care, more home carer supports or extending parental leave. What’s critical is that we get it right. A focus on the early years and childcare will benefit children into adulthood.

It gives them an equal start to reach their future potential in a Republic of Opportunity.

I appreciate the juggling that comes with childcare – the rush out of home in the morning, the rush back in the evening and deciding whether it’s worth working outside the home at all