Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has moved to play down expectations of a giveaway package to tackle the childcare issue in next month's budget.
Speaking to journalists in Dublin yesterday, Mr Ahern also gave further indications that any package would be spread out over a number of years.
He said the Government was already spending "an enormous amount of money" on childcare.
The Government has been examining a range of possible measures aimed at tackling the childcare issue.
Meanwhile, an all-party Oireachtas committee is recommending a targeted childcare allowance in the form of either cash, vouchers or a combination of both in a new report to be published today.
The proposed payment should be tied to the use of quality-assured childcare, says the report from the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights.
It also recommends substantial increases in Exchequer support for early childhood care and education, which in the short to medium-term should be at least 1 per cent of GDP. Further increases should follow, and must also include a universal increase in child benefit payments.
The report will highlight the need for the increased development of quality-assured childcare.This is something which the committee believes can be achieved in part through improvements in the status and conditions of childcare workers.
The vetting of all childcare workers should be an integral part of any childcare package, according to the report drafted by Fine Gael's justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe, who acted as rapporteur for the committee on the issue.
The report underlines the need to meet the particular requirements of children with special needs, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Exact details of how the cash, voucher or a combination system might operate remain to be worked out.
The report does not explicitly state whether it includes the possibility of parents being paid to stay at home.
However, it does acknowledge the contribution of parents in the home, and stresses the need for a child-centred approach which is flexible enough to accommodate the needs of both working and stay-at-home parents.
The committee has spent the last six months looking into how best to meet the future demands of childcare provision.