Member

These challenges are compounded by the growing demand for specialised care in Northern Ireland, where an estimated one in five children presents with special educational needs. Without sufficient staff or resources, many settings are struggling to meet these needs effectively. Childcare providers in my constituency have been clear: the planned national insurance increase will force them to make impossible choices: reduce the quality of care, raise fees for families already struggling with the cost of living or close entirely. That could have enormous, far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate loss of jobs in the sector. Without access to affordable and reliable childcare, parents do not have the support that they need to remain in the workforce. Rising childcare costs risk forcing even more parents, predominantly women, out of work or to reduce their hours, which would further exacerbate gender inequality in employment. That surely goes against everything that this Government want to do on growth.