Some 2,544 new childcare places will be created under a new funding programme announced yesterday by Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell.
Amid accusations of cynical political timing, Mr McDowell said the €32.8 million package would also support 967 existing childcare places, thereby helping the Government to exceed its target on childcare provision.
The Minister was speaking at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, at the end of several days of intensive canvassing for the PDs in the North Kildare byelection. "Included in today's announcement is an investment of €5.7 million for the further development of creche facilities on a number of third-level campuses, including €1 million for the creche here at NUI Maynooth," he said.
Labour's spokeswoman on children, Kathleen O'Meara, said: "The timing of this announcement a week before a byelection is cynical. But is even more cynical at a time when many community-based childcare facilities all over the country face the loss of their staffing grants in September."
She said the extra 40,000 places promised by the PDs at the last election had not materialised, nor had the cost of childcare been addressed.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said: "While capital funding for childcare places is always welcome, I think we should be doing more to help hard-pressed families who are paying up to a fifth of their income on childcare costs."
While canvassing for the byelection at the Little Harvard Creche and Montessori in Naas, Co Kildare, Mr Kenny said his party planned to table a motion in the Dáil calling on the Government "to introduce tax credits for vouched childcare expenses and provide an annual capitation payment to promote the development of pre-school options for children at community level".
Mr McDowell claimed the number of childcare places now being created by the Government exceeded 36,500, adding that the demand for such services had grown in line with the increased participation of women in the workforce.
This social change, he said, had made a huge difference to the way our society operates. We need to adapt in a positive way to make provision for the development of what will continue to be our most important resource - our children, added Mr McDowell.
