As I sat listening to the Spring Budget, I felt genuine happiness for all the parents and campaigners who fought so hard to put childcare top of the Westminster political agenda.
I also felt deflated - particularly as the hopeful messages started to ping through from constituents and friends to see if this announcement was good for them.
No, I responded, with the exception of improvements to Universal Credit, parents in Northern Ireland cannot access free childcare like the rest of the UK. It felt cruel to add: and in the absence of an Assembly, we are unlikely to see any significant change soon.
