Ahead of the Cabinet meeting this morning, various Government ministers spoke about the pressing issue of childcare costs and how to make sure people with children can enter the workforce without crippling financial responsibilities.
Ireland is now regarded as the most expensive country in the world for childcare - alongside the United States.
Earlier, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said improving the "affordability" of creches and after-school activities is a priority for the cabinet in the year ahead.
Simon Coveney spoke to Pat Kenny this morning and stated that the issue was not merely about kite-flying but was a priority for the Cabinet.
"We will be talking about this in some detail today in Cabinet and so we should be."
"If we're serious about a sustainabally growing economy, that everybody can participate in, we need families to be able to make decisions around the cost of bringing up their families while at the same time entering the workforce on a part time basis or a full time basis.
"That would be dealing with the cost of childcare in a more comprehensive way."
"The challenge for us is to look at ways the State can make childcare more affordable while at the same maintaining and ensuring standards."
You can listen to his full interview here:
