EXCERPTS
A whopping 98% of mums are unhappy with childcare support from the Government, a new survey has revealed.
A study carried out by MummyPages.ie also found that a shocking 84% of working parents struggle to budget for their children’s childcare costs.
And 99% of mums think the issue of costly private childcare is used as a political tactic by governments when looking for votes.
A specially tasked Inter-Departmental Working Group put forward a 10-year proposal to tackle the current crisis in July, but 83% of mums said they had no confidence in the government to implement any of the proposals in the upcoming Budget announcement.
A further 61% of mums admitted they think it’s “unlikely” the next government will take the proposals on board.
Laura Haugh, spokeswoman for MummyPages.ie, said: “It’s no wonder parents in Ireland are losing faith in the Government’s effort to tackle the childcare crisis.
“Ireland has been experiencing a childcare crisis for almost two decades now yet there is still no real-time solution in sight.
“The proposals announcement by a government Inter-Departmental group this summer to solve Ireland’s childcare crisis over a 10-year period is viewed by many as just another pre-election tactic.
“Key recommendations from this proposal include extending parental leave, introducing a second free pre-school year, and a single subsidy childcare scheme for pre-school and school-going children – however the timeline for implementation is ludicrous.
“Our working parents need help now.”
The survey also revealed that the majority of mums want the Government to subsidise both 40 and 20 hour working weeks for full time and part time private childcare.
Reports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights Ireland’s lack of investment in the childcare sector and support services.
Ireland invests less than 0.2% of the country’s GDP into these services – which falls well short of the OECD average (0.8%) and even further behind the UNICEF recommended benchmark of 1%.
Ms Haugh added: “Middle income Ireland is caught in a perceived affordability trap, sandwiched between lower income families who benefit from community childcare places and higher income earners who can better afford to pay for childcare.
“We need a level playing field for all parents who wish to work full-time in order to support their families and contribute to the tax system.
“A direct payment subsidy and private childcare capped rate would go a long way to helping all those struggling to pay the childcare fees that are pushing them out of employment; our mums deserve the choice to work outside the home.”
-reprinted from the Irish Mirror