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County Council backs childcare call 19.12.07

DONEAL County Council has unanimously supported a motion backing community childcare groups across the community.
The motion by Sinn Féin Councillor Marie Therese Gallagher expresses serious concern about the implications of the Government's Childcare Subvention Scheme. Cllr. Gallagher pointed out that if implemented, in its present form, the new scheme would lead to the closure of many community childcare facilities and naíonraí in Donegal.
"A large number of local community childcare providers have contacted me and my colleagues on this issue and I foresee huge problems with the new scheme, resulting in the closure of many facilities," said Cllr. Gallagher.
The new scheme requires community childcare operators to work a tiered fee system according to the income of service users. Services will receive subventions to enable reduced fees to be charged to disadvantaged parents in receipt of social welfare payments.
"Many of the families using community childcare facilities are on low incomes but do not receive social welfare payments - now to be a requirement to qualify for the new subvention scheme.
"Without a sufficient number of welfare recipients on their books, community childcare groups will be forced to close altogether or raise the fees for those not qualifying for the subvention," added Cllr. Gallagher.
"Thus low-income families and many more in already stretched circumstances could be actually forced to pay more. This makes nonsense of the claim that the new scheme will be better for the disadvantaged."
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