Fianna Fáil councillor says childcare issue is being ‘completely ignored’ by government – ‘This is control of women by stealth’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The shortage of childcare facilities across the country has been described by a Wexford councillor as “control of women by stealth”. Speaking at the June meeting of the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD), Fianna Fáil councillor Lisa McDonald cited the prevalence of vacant creches in housing estates as proof that this was not an issue being taken seriously by central government.

“There’s a huge childcare issue which is being completely ignored by the government, and this is directly because there aren’t enough women in Leinster House,” she said. “This is control of women by stealth.”

Having helped to deliver a creche for the people of her own village in Murntown, Cllr McDonald said it had quickly generated a waiting list with parents from all over the district seeking places there.

“People can’t go back to work because they can’t get childcare, the system is not working,” she continued. “If it was working the market would allow people to go in and set up businesses in those vacant buildings and work in them, but they don’t have the money to do it.”

Regarding the empty creches in housing estates and Wexford County Council’s (WCC) insistence that it couldn’t convert them into residential units, Cllr McDonald said there was a further example in her area of this policy being overridden.

“I’m not listening to any more of this nonsense about it not being permitted, we have done it and we can do it again. The council is saying its hands are tied, they’re not tied, it’s been shown in Piercestown that this can be done, a creche was converted into residential units there.

“So, grow a pair and start dealing with this properly, instead of saying ‘oh we can’t do anything’. I don’t accept that, we as a country are not dealing with the childcare issue properly. Until we do so, we’re going to continue to have empty buildings around the place.”