Neale Richmond TD has called on the Children’s Minister to publish a speedy timeline for the national roll out of the Babybox programme.
Deputy Richmond said: “Following a successful pilot programme in 2019, I was delighted that the Programme for Government committed to a full national roll out of the Babybox.
“A review into this will soon be undertaken with a view to rolling the Babybox out nationally in the lifetime of this Government.
“However, we need to have a clear timeline published on when the Babybox will be rolled out as well as guarantees that the Babybox will be pursued properly.”
Deputy Richmond continued: “The Scottish model is the obvious example. With a similar population, comparable economy and equivalent numbers of births every year, Scotland produces an excellent Babybox plan that is taken up by 96% of new babies every year.
“The Scottish Babybox contains all the vital tools a new baby needs, as well as clear supports for new parents, and the box itself can of course be used as a cot if needs be.
“We need the Minister to lay out a speedy Babybox timeline and to deliver a top-class resource that ensures every new baby has the same start.”
