Madam, - The current money for childcare debate is focusing on the wrong issue. The real issue is the crazy cost of housing, causing young couples to be exiled miles away from their original community to spend hours commuting. Also not having proper public transport forces many couples the added expense of owning two cars.
The solution is not to give parents tax credits or "headage payments" for children; this will lead to further house price and childcare inflation. The solution is to tackle the cartel of land bank owners around the city. Dublin is one of the least populated capitals in the world yet land prices are comparable to the most densely populated.
It is well known that Dublin's land is hoarded by a handful of politically connected landlords. Vital land needed for housing and the economic wellbeing of the country should be nationalised. Future funds that may be used as child "headage payments" should be used to buy this land, to make it available for affordable, well designed, well serviced high density homes. So there is a magic wand to solve the childcare issue - make our lands available. - Yours, etc,
JOHN DEVLIN, Erne Terrace, Dublin 2.