Cabinet minister says free childcare is too expensive
Dutch national news, posted September 26th, 2006
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Social Affairs Minister Aart-Jan de Geus has told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that providing free childcare would be impossibly expensive.
The opposition Labour Party and the conservative VVD have both suggested making childcare free in order to give more parents the opportunity to work.
Mr Geus says both parties have underestimated the cost: the VVD talks about spending 400 million euros and the Labour Party around two billion, but the Christian Democrat minister believes the real cost would be more than 10 billion.
The election manifestos of smaller parties like GreenLeft, D66 and the Socialist Party also argue in favour of free nurseries.
Source: Radio Netherlands, 26 September 2006
