Ministers to discuss childcare costs

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The Cabinet will today discuss measures to ease the cost of childcare on working parents.

It is understood the proposals under consideration include:

* A second free pre-school year.

* The possibility of giving tax credits to parents who pay for childcare while they work.

Early Childhood Ireland, which represents crèches and preschools, is calling on the Government to invest more in subsidising early childhood education.

The group wants the Government to increase its investment from 0.2% of GDP to the European average of 0.7%

Early Childhood Ireland CEO Teresa Heeney commented: "The problem with the cost of childcare in Ireland is that parents are paying virtually 100% of the cost, except for the free pre-school year."