Coveney: Childcare costs are 'like a second mortgage'

A Government Minister has said that the Government must reduce the cost of childcare - which he described as being "like another mortgage".

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney was speaking ahead of this morning's Cabinet meeting - where his colleagues are being briefed on plans for tax reliefs and subsidies for working parents.

Recent studies say Ireland's crèche costs are now among the most expensive in the world.

Minister Coveney says the Government will address affordability this year.

"For working parents, the cost of childcare is like another mortgage," he said.

"It's a huge percentage of a couple's, or a family's income, and we need to address that as a Government, and we'll be talking about that in some detail today, in Cabinet, as so we should be."