The recent Economist report that listed Ireland as having the highest quality of life in the world mentioned childcare facilities as an issue of concern (as well as the weather). Celine Kinsella (28) would agree.

Celine is a single mother who has been in Community Employment (CE) since June, working in administration with the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) and is thus ideally suited to seeing the effects of last year's social welfare cuts. "My mother looks after my son while I'm at work, which is fine as long as I'm part-time in CE," she says.

"But if I was full-time she wouldn't be able to and the weekly cost of a creche in Dublin is so expensive. Basically it means I can't look for full-time work in my current position."

In the short term Celine would like to see Child Benefit raised by €10 to €15, but this is only a stopgap solution. "I think the Government should be focusing on providing child care in the workplace for as many people as possible. "The cost of a creche is actually more than I'm earning at the moment and I know a lot of my colleagues feel the same."

Childcare has featured high on the list of several focus groups this year. The ICTU favours tax relief for childcare costs, including a minimum tax credit of at least €20 per week and tax relief up to an initial €50 per week for parents using approved and receipted childcare, while the National Women's Council of Ireland has asked for a child benefit increase of €18 for the first and second child and €20 for all subsequent children.

The Minister has left people guessing with his announcement in the Estimates that overall funding in the Department of Social and Family affairs will be increased by just 1 per cent, while still indicating that there would be much more to come in the Budget. For Celine, and others like her, it will be a tense few days of "wait and see".