Almost 40% of crèches or childcare settings may not reopen their doors in September, the Tánaiste has suggested to the Dáil.
Leo Varadkar said the Government wants to ensure the sector is "fully up and running" by the autumn to meet demand and that data is being collected. "60% of the existing services have indicated they will be reopening by September and this portion may rise," he told the Dáil.
He was responding to Aontú's Peadar Tóibín who said seven childcare providers in Dublin alone have closed down in the past 24 hours, with 55 closing across the country in the past week.
He said he has "shocking" information from the sector showing it is in "chaos". Mr Tóibín said 180 have closed since the start of the pandemic "due to the lack