Nursery World - Top of the agenda

To see the issue of childcare thrust suddenly to attention where it was unconsidered before, look at Ireland. Simon Vevers reports Government childcare initiatives have been rolled out with almost relentless regularity in the UKin recent years. But in Ireland far less attention has been paid to the issue - until now, when it has been thrust to the heart of political debate and is likely to be central to the forthcoming budget on 7 December.

Government childcare initiatives have been rolled out with almost relentless regularity in the UKin recent years. But in Ireland far less attention has been paid to the issue - until now, when it has been thrust to the heart of political debate and is likely to be central to the forthcoming budget on 7 December.

The lack of affordable childcare has become glaringly more obvious, as the number of women working in Ireland has grown by 300,000 during the past decade while the Irish economy has experienced a spectacular boom.

This shortage has been compounded by the relatively high cost of childcare.The National Economic and Social Council in Dublin revealed earlier this year that Irish parents spend on average 20 per cent of their annual income on childcare, compared with a European average of 12 per cent.

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