Sir, - Quite simply, the Irish Government has failed in its duty to provide an appropriate childcare structure for working parents.
I suggest the Government might remember its duties. It was elected to develop that benefited every one who lived and worked in Ireland. To set childcare as a low priority, which it clearly has, rams home the message that the Government cares little if anything for its greatest natural resource - the children of the country, our future!
Current policies penalise parents. If you cannot afford childcare, give up your jobs and stay at home! If you are a single parent and wish to continue working, then sorry, as again the message is: give up your job and then you will be entitled to benefits from the welfare system.
Damn this draconian system which enslaves parents and removes their constitutional right to work. The stark incompetence of this Government to deliver on childcare is nothing short of a disaster. - Yours, etc.,
Fiona Hanaphy, Dublin 24.