THE LABOUR PARTY has outlined its plan to cap childcare costs at €200 per month per child if in government.

Its proposal is in line with that of Sinn Féin and Fine Gael, who have both also pledged to cut childcare costs to €200 per month.

The Labour Party, however, argue that it was the first to put forward such a policy in 2022 and that Fine Gael’s interest in a publicly-funded childcare model is “newfound”. 

Referencing the impact the late Niamh Breathnach, the Labour TD and Minister for Education, had on reforming access to higher education in the 1990s, the party today called for a similar “Ivana moment” to revolutionise childcare in Ireland. 

Speaking at the launch today, Labour leader Ivana Bacik described her party’s proposed policy as “groundbreaking”.

Labour has proposed to move Ireland to a universal, publicly-provided model of childcare.

“Other parties have now jumped on this, on this issue, but we have been saying for years now that we need in Ireland to change our model fundamentally. To change from a model that is reliant entirely on private providers and to change to a publicly provided scheme,” Bacik said.

The party is also calling for core funding to ensure a minimum wage of €15 per hour for staff in the childcare sector.

Speaking at the launch today, Labour’s spokesperson on childcare, senator Marie Sherlock hit out at Fine Gael’s record on the issue.

Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris last week said that he believes childcare should be “in the public space” and “more linked to our education system”, arguing that no school should be built without also building childcare facilities. 

Responding to this, Sherlock said: “There’s a serious credibility issue with Fine Gael here. They have been in government for however many years now… The reality is they have spent €4.9b on school buildings since 2020 and not a single school has incorporated pre-school or after-school [childcare].”

Also speaking at the launch today was early years teacher and Labour election candidate for Meath-East, Eilish Balfe.

Balfe spoke directly of her experience running an early years childcare facility and said the sector is “freefalling into chaos”.

“The sector is losing staff at an alarming rate,” Balfe said.

“We are now in a situation where our minimum wage will go to €13.50 in January, which is great, but the minimum wage for an educator is €13.65 which means the Early Years sector becomes a minimum wage sector again, which is absolutely terrifying.”

“We need to rethink the entire sector. We need to see it as a public good like the rest of our education system,” Balfe said.

She concluded by saying: “Ivana already talked about the Niamh Breathnach moment for further education. Well, we want the Ivana moment for early education, when it actually goes into that public system, because the Labor Party will drive that forward.”