Irish childcare is the most expensive in the world, and has been compared to a second mortgage

“For many families, the cost of providing childcare amounts to paying a second mortgage every month and for some families it makes more sense for a parent to stay at home and opt out of the workforce due to the scandalous costs involved,” he said.

He added that this meant that many women were being forced out of work, as it is not viable to maintain a career. Tanaiste Simon Coveney admitted that a “radical change” was needed but added that “childcare costs were stabilising”. He said: “The cost of full-time childcare has increased over the last year by 2% on average compared to an increase the year before of 4%. “So it has halved, but we are not there yet.” A recent survey has found that almost fifty percent of working parents have had to miss up to five days of work in 2018, due to a lack of available childcare.