As this is also my first time speaking in the Chamber, I would like to thank the people of Carlow and Kilkenny for putting their faith in me. I will leave no stone unturned. To my family, especially my parents and husband, and to my friends and activists, I am extremely grateful. Thank you.

Across Carlow and Kilkenny, parents are struggling to find adequate childcare places. The sudden announcement of the closure of a school servicing Castlecomer has left parents without vital childcare. In Kilkenny city, another provider has announced it is ending its after-school services due to staffing issues. Parents are left in the difficult position of scrambling for limited alternatives. The programme for Government has offered mere lip service to childcare. Will the Taoiseach’s Department commit to a concrete plan that will include transitioning to a public funding model? Parents cannot endure another year of stopgap solutions. We need to see real plans for the sector put into action. When will the Government prioritise building capacity in the sector, ensuring professionals, operators and families receive the support they deserve?

I congratulate the Deputy on her election. I also congratulate Deputy Noel McCarthy on his election.

Deputy Newsome Drennan probably did not get the opportunity to name the specific service. If she gives me the details on it, I will follow up with the Minister for children.

Too many to name.

The broader point is that childcare has evolved quite significantly over recent decades in Ireland whereby we have many community-based and private childcare services, and some State childcare services, albeit in the minority. The taxpayer funds many of the services to get the fees down for parents, which we have done to a significant extent in recent years, to support staff and to create better career pathways and better JLCs. It is not as simple as just creating a new public system overnight.