Childcare costs should be capped at €50 a week, says Ivana Bacik

The State should cap childcare costs at a maximum of €50 per child per week to make it affordable for parents to continue in the workforce, Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik has said.

Laying out a core policy for her party at its one-day parliamentary party meeting on Thursday, Ms Bacik said working families should be paying no more than €200 a month for childcare. She said the party would be calling for the Government to introduce the change in the budget.

Speaking to reporters at the Glenroyal Hotel in Maynooth, Ms Bacik said the change would be in line with many other European countries.

“We had a cost [evaluation] last year and it came to €275 million. We think it’s very achievable,” she said.

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She said the Labour Party would like to see a radical change in how childcare is operated in the State.

[ Six in 10 workers say partner gave up work due to cost of childcare, survey finds ]

“For now, we’re renewing our call for the cap in the face of a real crisis in childcare and early years education. So many parents simply cannot find an affordable or indeed an available place in childcare.”

Ms Bacik said the party would also prioritise seeking a fair deal for elder care, to allow people to live in their own homes, with support.

Asked for her party’s view on proposed tax cuts by the Government in the budget on October 10th, Ms Bacik said her party had always campaigned for investment in public services and that would not change.

“We have seen the Government’s proposed €1.1 billion package of tax cuts; they’re saying, and what we are saying, is if the Government is going to be looking at tax cuts, they have to provide support to those households that are struggling the most. These are low-paid households,” she said.

[ Budget 2024: What measures will we see - from tax and childcare cuts to electricity credits? ]

“We hope the Government will take that on board and will not be simply throwing tax cuts at the highest paid.”

She said the indexation of tax bands at a time of high inflation was a more meaningful way to ensure people on low incomes were supported.

Labour has currently seven TDs, four senators and 56 councillors in the State. She said the party hoped to run 100 to 120 candidates in the local elections next year, and would also be running candidates in the three European constituencies.

Ms Bacik said she hoped all of the party’s outgoing TDs would stand again, but would not be drawn on how many seats the party would be targeting.

She said there were some “really worrying signs of the far right organising in Ireland” but said Labour representatives were facing them down.

“Speaking with colleagues who are leaders of parties across Europe, they’re really worried about the gains the far right have been making in other countries. We see it in Italy, we’ve seen it in Germany, in Spain, in Finland and in Hungary.

“We think it’s vitally important that we can [counter that] with a strong left social democratic and socialist voice at the European table from here in Ireland.”

Asked whether Labour would be willing to go into Government with Sinn Féin, Ms Bacik said: “I’ve been in politics a long time and I’ve always worked collaboratively with colleagues from other parties and indeed independent colleagues on policies that we share in common. So that won’t change.

“We will continue to do that in Opposition. And we will continue to work with parties in life that are like-minded.”