Ulster Unionist Party Spokesperson for Children and Young People, Sandra Overend MLA, has hosted the Stormont launch of the sixth annual Childcare Cost Report 2015, commissioned by the Employers for Childcare charity.

Mrs Overend, who is the vice-chair of the Stormont Education Committee, said:

“The annual Childcare Costs Survey commissioned by Employers for Childcare provides a revealing insight into how this impacts on the lives of parents and families in Northern Ireland. A pattern has been clear to see over the six years that this report has been produced - the cost of childcare continues to rise, with knock on effects for families across the country.

“Affordable and accessible childcare is a key commitment of the Programme for Government. However the sad reality is that the huge cost of childcare means that many parents who want to work, simply cannot afford to do so.

“The average full-time childcare place cost £164 per week – that’s £8,528 per year, an increase on last year.  An average 45% of the earnings of the parents surveyed for the report are allocated to childcare. 46% of parents surveyed reduced their working hours or left work altogether due to the high cost of childcare. It is little wonder then that so many local families are struggling to make ends meet and parents who would like to work, are unable to.

“The Executive’s Childcare Strategy was launched for public consultation in July of this year, and it is very clear that it has much to do to tackle the cost of childcare as a barrier to work. It is one thing to come up with grand ideas and strategies, but it is quite another to actually deliver them.  Unfortunately OFMdFM has a reputation for promising much but failing to deliver.

“As recently as September I spoke in the Assembly on the cost of childcare, and questioned OFMDFM on the department’s failure to spend the £12 million that was set aside in the Programme for Government for accessible, affordable childcare. At that time from a budget of £12 million set aside for childcare, just £3.4 million had been spent since 2011, an abject failure of government. Families deserve better, and it is well past time that the Executive started delivering on its commitments.”