Budget 'fails' parents as childcare bills soar

WORKING parents are paying up to €10,000 a year per child in crèche fees and have been totally ignored in the Budget, unions and opposition parties claimed last night.

The State's annual children's allowance payment of €1,700 a year doesn't even pay one-fifth of the average childcare costs for a single child.

Unions and opposition parties said the failure to grant tax relief on crèche fees would leave many parents struggling to meet crippling childcare costs.