Fine Gael proposes €600 monthly cap on fees with 30,000 new public childcare places
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Fine Gael is proposing to cap childcare fees at a maximum of €600 per month, as the party pledges to make 30,000 public childcare places available.
Under the plans, families would pay a maximum of €200 per child per month, which would then cap out at a maximum of €600 for multiple children.
The party launched its overall childcare plan on Wednesday, making further calls to introduce a double child benefit payment every August to assist parents with back-to-school costs.
Launching the plan, outgoing Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that Fine Gael is also open to increasing child benefit rates going forward beyond the current €140, as well as introducing a second tier of child benefit.
Ms McEntee added that the party would introduce a system of pay-related parental benefit as well as extensions to paid family leave.
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Outgoing junior finance minister Neale Richmond said that Fine Gael would carry out a review of wages paid to childcare staff.
"Across the country, highly skilled childcare professionals are caring for our children every day," he said.
"I have seen first-hand the training, the effort, and the care they put into their work, and they deserve pay that reflects this.
"Fine Gael will continue to support pay increases for childcare staff, but we will also conduct a full review of wages to set fair and progressive wages for childcare educators in the public services."
Mr Richmond acknowledged that parents continue to struggle to access childcare places across the country, saying that the State needs to take a direct role in providing childcare.
"We will create 30,000 new childcare places, with at least 100 of these public services being provided in the first two years of government."
The Irish Examiner previously reported that Fine Gael was examining the use of State-owned buildings as childcare facilities, including looking at proposed—but unused—International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres.