New figures from an EU Commission study show that the average creche cost for this age group is €771 per month.

In total, 22 hotspots will be funded in Galway, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, South Dublin, Westmeath and Wicklow.

The Government has been fined €2m by the European Commission for failing to regulate the installation and use of almost 500,000 septic tanks.

The aunt of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick has called for an EU-wide early-warning system to alert authorities about missing children.