More than 100 families on the north side of Cork city were told yesterday they will have to wait until at least next year for early learning and crèche places to be put in place for their children at the old Before 5 family centre in Churchfield. The fault lies not with the company taking over the running of the services on the Churchfield site following the liquidation of Before 5; it lies with the Minister's Government for failing to take preschools under the control of the Department of Education. By failing to provide a State guarantee of continuity of service, the Government allows a situation where preschooling and crèches undergo periodic crises and then reopen slowly once closed. What steps does the Government intend to take to ensure the injury suffered by those parents and their children, as well as the 14 workers, are remedied as soon as possible?

I thank the Deputy. I welcome the fact that this service will reopen under new management. It was concerning news for parents when the initial closure was announced, so it is really positive to see it will reopen. The fact we are able to have services reopen and indeed the fact service closures are so low at the moment is due to the additional State funding we have introduced through core funding. Originally it was €259 million and in this, the second year, it is €287 million in additional money invested in services to make them sustainable and, most importantly, to deliver on increased pay for the workers the Deputy talked about.