There are calls for a year's paid parental leave for new parents working in Ireland.

The cost of childcare continues to be a major issue for Irish parents, with the average cost for two children now at over €2,000 a month or €24,000 annually.

Children's Minister James Reilly yesterday launched a new childcare report, which had several attractive proposals for alleviating the cost for parents.

It included longer parental leave and an extension of the free pre-school year.

But Mr Reilly admitted that there is no timescale for their implementation, and the government has not agreed on any extra resources to fund the measures.

The review recommends extending paid parental leave by six months and allowing parents to split the additional time as they see fit.

That would cost the State €273m over the six months.

It says there is a strong argument for subventions for private creche fees, extending pre-school education and a radical shake-up to parental leave.

The whole package would cost over €500m.

Ciairín De Buis is the director of Start Strong. She told Newstalk Breakfast other countries already provide this.