That is not what the Tánaiste said on the TV debate.

It is absolutely what I said in the manifesto and I talked about it an awful lot. Every party in this Dáil gave that commitment and we stand by that commitment. However, we have outlined a record budget for childcare of €1.5 billion. The national childcare scheme is now funded for an additional 35,000 children next year. There is a 14% increase in the number of children benefitting. In the coming months, the Minister will set out plans for a new maximum fee-cap set from next September. That will benefit people with the costs. This will reduce costs for families paying the highest fees. That is where we should start. The Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, have signed off on a 10% increase in the minimum rate of pay for educators that takes effect next Monday. That is helping to ensure we have people working in childcare facilities to mind our children and educate them. There is also funding for further pay increases for their staff next year as well and we extended the back to school clothing and footwear payment to preschool for the first time ever, benefitting the children most in need along with a range of childcare measures. The commitment remains and the commitment will be delivered on.

I think the Tánaiste knows well that most people do not read every word in a manifesto. However, they do listen to what the Tánaiste says in an election TV debate. This is exactly what he told the nation in the TV election debate. I will quote it for him again. He said the Fine Gael manifesto is proposing within 100 days of being in government capping monthly childcare costs per child at €200 per month.

Then he went on to talk about what he was going to do on college fees. He did not talk about roadmaps or anything else. That is what he told the people. Anyone listening to that would realistically expect that, at least in the first budget, the Government would do meaningful things to reduce childcare fees, if not what he actually said in the TV debate. However, the Tánaiste did neither what he promised people in the TV debate nor has he done anything to reduce childcare fees. Can he not understand why people are really disappointed and feel betrayed by him now? During that election debate, they were given the very clear impression that, within 100 days of being in office, the Tánaiste was going to act to get their childcare fees down. Will he apologise to them? When is he going to act to reduce childcare fees and actually not break his election promises, which he has just done?

We are already acting. That is why it is important that parents know. If the Deputy is saying that parents do not follow this, then I completely disagree. Let parents watching know this: the budget we just delivered provided funding for 35,000-----

That is not what I said.

The Deputy said that people do not read election manifestoes in detail but I think people watch these things very closely.

They also watch the TV debates.

The Irish electorate are sophisticated. Funding for an additional 35,000 places has been provided. A cap will be put in place for next September for those with the highest fees. We are extending the footwear and clothing allowance for the first time to children in preschool. I am sure this is something that the Social Democrats must support but did not fund in their alternative budget. The electorate do listen to what people say in elections.

The Tánaiste promised to cut childcare fees.

They listened when the leader of the Social Democrats promised that VAT for the hospitality sector would be set at 9% and then walked away from it.

The Government has decided to give €20 million to McDonald's.

This is because the Social Democrats do not believe that cafés in my constituency - in Greystones, Delgany or Bray - deserve the VAT cut that they promised during the election and which they are now walking away from. There is a pub-----

The Tánaiste has broken promises on fees, childcare, child poverty-----

Order, please.