Election 2024 manifestos: the parties’ promises on housing, cost of living and health – and how they differ
Dividing lines emerge as parties outline their general election pledges
childcare
Greens and Labour clash over track record as Coalition junior partners
Roderic O’Gorman said his party ‘with 12 TDs has been able to deliver more’ than Labour with 37
Sinn Féin denies planned ‘piggy bank heist’ as major parties clash over spending
Paschal Donohoe accuses party of ‘raid’ – but Pearse Doherty says party would add more money to future funds
Moment ‘where history meets opportunity’ has come, says McDonald as party manifesto launched
Election 2024: Social Democrats pledges €1 offpeak public transport fares and 50,000 affordable purchase homes if in government
Is it accurate to label Fine Gael’s manifesto a ‘McCreevy/Cowen tribute act’?
Simon Harris’s party has promised €7bn-worth of tax cuts, €2.5bn pension increases and a range of public sector spending
Dublin West constituency profile: Fine Gael Senator has decent chance of picking up Varadkar seat
Election 2024: Sinn Féin TD Paul Donnelly should be returned, but it might be a big ask for the party to take two seats
The Care Dilemma by David Goodhart: A book about the vital unpaid care work that makes society tick will antagonise many readers
Despite the best of intentions and some strong ideas, Goodhart seems to underestimate the extent to which he pushes readers’ buttons
‘You can see the difference. Definitely’: How the Finnish approach to preschool childcare is paying dividends in Cork
Minna Murphy is happy to see early education becoming a ‘political hot potato’ in the run-up to the election with just about everybody promising more money.
Childcare providers warn scale of electoral commitments causing uncertainty in the sector
All main political parties have committed to capping fees charged to parents, with most saying €200 per child would be the most any family would have to pay
Alleged assault on child at Dublin creche under Garda investigation
Mother of girl says her child’s arm was twisted several times and former staff member asked child not to tell anybody
Fine Gael’s €860m childcare plan promises extra benefit payment and 30,000 new early learning places
Like other parties, Fine Gael has also pledged that parents will pay no more than €200 per month per child
Sharp exchanges between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dominate election debates
Fine Gael is expected to pledge to cut inheritance tax substantially when it unveils its manifesto at the weekend
Childcare fees set to increase at 600 Government-funded services
Department of Children has received applications for fee increases from more than 800 childcare providers
Election housing debate should not be about ‘shouting numbers’, Simon Harris says
Election 2024: Fine Gael leader promises more ‘interventionist’ State on child care and ‘firmer’ migration system
Creche place shortage: ‘We are panicking that we won’t find childcare and I need to return to work’
General election countdown: childcare is set to be a significant issue on the campaign trail
State child care system ‘in crisis’ and vulnerable children are ‘falling through the cracks’
Report of Child Law Project ‘sounds the alarm’ says special rapporteur on child protection
General election: Cap of €200 on childcare fees and 30,000 extra places promised by Labour
Extra staff and improved pay sector proposed at party’s policy launch
‘Organise childcare’ means one of two things: ask Granny or take a day off work
Unless you have a reliable and obliging childminder willing to shift their schedule to accommodate the whims of Simon Harris, the election is yet another headache for parents
Ireland’s largest creche group got €19m in Covid subsidies over three years
Giraffe Childcare operates 24 creches around Dublin, Kildare and Meath
Social Democrats promise to spend €250m on early years education and cap fees at €250 a month
‘Twin-track’ system would use budget surpluses to buy existing childcare businesses and build new facilities
Only mothers who find recognition in professional life seem to be guilty of ‘having it all’
Society considers mums suspected of working by choice to be playing a zero-sum game where career ambition comes at the cost of motherly love
Pilot scheme for nationalised childcare costed at €53m
Scheme would cater for 6,000 children across a range of different services intended to be representative of the current sector
Is free, publicly-funded childcare possible in Ireland?
Government has established a special unit to investigate what a ‘nationalised’ childcare model might look like
Childcare industry says level of support in budget like a ‘kick in the stomach’
Budget 2025: Increases in funding for early learning and childcare ‘utterly insufficient’, say providers
Budget 2025: Opposition calls for election as Coalition defends budget ‘bonanza’ in face of fierce criticism
Labour says budget was ‘all glitter and full of shiny gimmicks’; Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she ‘wants to see a full restoration’ of barristers fees
Budget 2025 Q&A: inheritance tax and welfare changes the main focus for readers
Record interest among readers in wide-ranging live online post-budget question and answer session
Budget 2025 Q&A: Your PAYE tax breaks, mortgage relief and employee gift limit queries answered
Dominic Coyle of The Irish Times and Beryl Power from PwC answered readers’ questions in our post-budget live blog which has now finished. You can read back on all the questions and answers below
Budget 2025: Double child benefit payment; petrol and diesel prices to increase; series of personal tax cuts
The final cost of living package will now come in at just shy of €2 billion, well in excess of the €1.5bn expected
Child benefit bonuses, free school meals and extra childcare funding approved
Budget 2025: Government wants Ireland ‘to be one of the best countries in the world in which to be a child’, says Minister
Budget 2025: What it means for Irish households and businesses
Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock
Budget 2025 main points: Energy credits, bonus welfare payments, higher minimum wage and tax changes
USC cut to 3%; extra credits for renters; 10,000 new social homes to built and free public transport for under-9s
Budget 2025: Two double child benefit payments expected in near €2bn cost-of-living package
Extension of the Help to Buy scheme to 2029, and extra tax on vulture funds expected
Childcare provider accused of obstructing Tusla inspector spared conviction after agreeing to pay €2,000
Judge notes ‘draconian’ law could have seen Padraig O’Connor, operator of Little Puddles Childcare in Glenageary, lose registration if convicted
‘I can only get 9¼ hours of creche time for my daughter’: parents call for State-run childcare
National Women’s Council and 25 other organisations want pilot programme established
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