The report produced on Childcare and which was implemented in the budget main provisions:

• Introduced a 5 year strategy costing €2.65 billion to assist parents and substantially increase supply of childcare places
• Increased child benefit to €150 per child per month for 1st and 2nd child and €185 for each subsequent child.
• Introduced a new supplement of €1,000 a year for all children up to their 6th birthday. Will be payable each 3 months at €250 each time.
• Form March 2006 increase of 4 weeks in paid maternity leave plus 4 weeks extra in unpaid leave.
• Form March 2007 a further 4 week extension of both paid & unpaid leave to total at the point, 26 weeks paid, 16 weeks unpaid.
• Increased investment in childcare training to provide 17,000 qualified personnel by 2010.
• Capital investment to fund 50,000 more childcare places by 2010.
• New home based child minding tax exemption on income up to €10,000 a year
• Maternity benefit increased to 50% of reckonable weekly earnings

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