Taoiseach hints at budgetary package on childcare

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has hinted that a package on childcare will be included in next month's Budget.

An opinion poll published this morning identified the issue as the third-highest concern for voters ahead of the next election after the cost of living and healthcare.

Eight-four per cent of respondents to a poll in the Irish Examiner said they believed the Government was not doing enough to address the matter.

Speaking in the Dáil this morning, Mr Ahern said he accepted there were childcare problems and acknowledged that the Government needed to do something.

Meanwhile, economist Jim Power has predicted that Finance Minister Brian Cowen will spend anything up to €1.5bn on childcare in the Budget.

"He's got to try and ensure that childcare places continue to come on stream and that they are regulated both in terms of quality and in terms of price," he said.