Creche fee cuts won’t help us – we never even got off the waiting list
VETERINARY assistant and lab clerk Kate Kennedy, a married mother of one, said she would not benefit from the reduction in creche fees as no places have been available since she returned to work.
Ms Kennedy, 40, who lives in Enfield, Co. Meath, with her husband, Francis, said this was despite putting her son on a waiting list before he was born.
She said they now used a childminder, at a cost of €250 per week.
She explained: ‘Ethan was born in November 2020, and the earliest he could get a place in creche was August, but I had to go back to work in May.
‘We were buying a house at the time, and my work doesn’t subsidise maternity leave, so I couldn’t
‘No support for using childminders’
take any extra time.’
She said she thought that, overall, the Budget had been a very good one.
‘Maybe they [the Government] have started to realise that young families and low earners are struggling a lot,’ she said.
However, she was worried that the reduction in creche fees could push the sector to breaking point.
‘If all these parents go looking for creche places, it will put even more stress on the sector,’ she said.
‘Childminders are cheaper, generally.
And they give a more personal service. But there’s no support in the Budget for parents using childminders.’
Ms Kennedy said she had been relieved by the decision not to raise the price of diesel or petrol as she and her husband, who works in the racing industry, drive to work.
She said she was happy to escape the traditional budget dash to the petrol station to catch the lower prices before midnight.
She also welcomed the €600 electricity credit for all households.
‘The €600 credit is massive, I am really happy about that,’ she said.
She said her home ran on gas and electricity and that despite recently switching suppliers, her bills were up by €50 a month for electricity alone, before the winter heating bill even kicks in.
She said: ‘I’m going around from room to room switching lights off. I normally like to leave a lamp on in the hall but now I’m worrying it’s a waste of money. The dryer is never used, because anything that needs to generate heat is a bit scary.’
Ms Kennedy said she also hoped to gain from the €3,200 rise in the threshold for the higher rate of income tax, which will start at €40,000. She was also happy to hear about the free primary school books for children, for when Ethan starts school.
‘We haven’t got there yet, but I know that’s a big cost,’ she said.