Sinn Féin promise to cap childcare costs if they enter power

Sinn Fein have promised to cap weekly childcare costs at €150 over the lifetime of the next government-if the party was to enter power.

ByJuno McEnroe

Political Correspondent

Sinn Féin have promised to cap weekly childcare costs at €150 over the lifetime of the next government-if the party was to enter power.

Launching its childcare policy document in Dublin this morning, deputy party leader Mary Lou McDonald outlined €858m in spending for the sector and for cash-strapped parents.

Weekly childcare costs would initially be capped at €180, for service providers are subsidised for providing two years of free pre-school care, but this would reduce to €150, the party said.

This would cover nearly all childcare facilities who are availing of early childcare programmes, the party said.

Maternity leave would also be increased to 52 weeks, which would include paternity leave, under the proposals.

Additional support would also be made available for special needs assistants and weekly maternity benefit payments would be increased by an extra six weeks, Ms McDonald explained.

Asked by the Irish Examiner if the plans had been costed, Ms McDonald said that the Department of Finance had examined and costed the childcare spending plans.