Taoiseach Simon Harris has said his party will begin a consultation process on setting up a public childcare and early education service.
The Fine Gael leader said they would consult with parents and childcare providers from Friday on how to implement such a service during the next government’s term.
He made the comments while speaking to reporters at the Fine Gael parliamentary party think-in in Tullamore, Co Offaly.
Childcare is expected to be an area of focus for political parties ahead of the general election, as parents struggle to find childcare places and early-education providers grapple with increasing costs.
Speaking to reporters at the Fine Gael think-in, the Taoiseach highlighted efforts to reduce the cost of childcare and increase subsidies.
Mr Harris said there was “more work to be done” around available places and said the early years sector should be “in the public space”.”I am concerned though, that when it comes to things like affordability, we’ve made progress, but when it comes to things like supply, there is still real work that needs to be done.
“There are too many parents that say to me: ‘Yes, it’s good that you’ve reduced the cost, but I want to know what you’re going to do to increase the places’.
“I ultimately believe the model of childcare in Ireland and early childhood education needs to be in the public space and needs to be more closely linked to our education system.”
He said the proposal would be fully costed in the party’s election manifesto.
The Fine Gael leader, who has hinted previously that he was considering such plans, also denied repackaging a policy by Green party leader and children’s minister Roderic O’Gorman.
On Monday, Mr O’Gorman said he believes the State “needs to be taking an even greater role” in childcare.
He said his party would make two years of free early childhood care and education (ECCE) a legal right.
Asked if a public childcare model would be part of the Green Party election manifesto, Mr O’Gorman told RTE Radio that the next few years should be about “delivering extra capacity in areas that need it”.
Asked if Fine Gael was repackaging a Green Party policy, Mr Harris said: “No.”
“It’s my clear view, and I’ve been very clear on this since becoming leader of this party, that I want childcare to be a part of the publicly funded education system. I welcome the fact that that is the view of others too, I have praised Minister O’Gorman for the work he has done.”
More than 70 Fine Gael politicians and general election candidates are to meet in Tullamore on Wednesday and Thursday.
Fine Gael has chosen 47 candidates across 30 constituencies, 16 of whom are women or 34 per cent of their candidates – short of the required 40 per cent gender quota.
The party has a high number of experienced TDs who have announced they are stepping down: of the 26 TDs across the Dáil who have announced they will not contest the next general election, 15 are from Fine Gael.
There are 23 Fine Gael candidates running for the first time, six of whom have never run for public office before.
The party has reportedly set September as a deadline for selecting all its candidates, fuelling rumours that leader Mr Harris is gearing up for an election before the end of the year.
Mr Harris said the party will offer “a blended mix of experience” and “new energy, freshness” at the next election.
He said that issues including the upcoming budget, housing, migration and childcare would be discussed at the think-in.
