Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I appreciate that the Minister stated percentage increases but I do not see any hard figures. All of us in the Opposition rely on hard figures. I appreciate the point the Minister is making, if I am reading him correctly, that it is not possible to give an exact top-line figure for the number of people waiting. However, it is clear from the running theme in the questions so far this morning that there is an evidence base that there is a shortage of places. I am merely trying to interrogate how many more places we need. The Minister stated he started a forward planning unit. This is one of the biggest issues for families with young children.

The Minister has made some utterances in the past on having a public model, as has the Taoiseach. How soon will that be implemented? What planning has taken place for that?

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