Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I extend a welcome to Donegal County Childcare Committee and Start Strong. I wish to declare that I am chair of Early Childhood Ireland. However, my role is a governance role and I do not get involved in the policy of the organisation.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss child care and its provision. Mr. Gray said earlier that one of the key questions to be asked is whether child care represents a barrier to employment. Would we ever ask the question whether sending a child to primary school is a barrier to employment? We would not ask that question. Therefore, I was a bit hesitant about the report, because I wonder whether these issues would not be better discussed by the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection, because they are core issues. I agree with Mr. Gray on the need for the restructuring of FIS and with the call for labour market activation measures.

I feel I have been on a journey on the issue of child care. When I first got involved in children's rights, it was all about the status of the mother and whether she was working or not. This determined whether children would be sent to child care. The introduction of the free preschool year provided an impetus that allowed us to move the spotlight from the adult to the child and we all realised the importance and value of child care and the development of the child. As a result, whether the mother is working or not is no longer the focus. However, it is an important focus in the report in regard to labour market activation. If we are looking at child care, however, we must focus on the child.

Issues have been raised in regard to affordability, accessibility and quality and how we get them all to fit together. We must ask serious questions about our investment in child care. As I asked already, would we ever ask whether primary school was a barrier to employment? Ms McMonagle spoke very well on this issue on Newstalk this morning and the debate was very interesting, but when I hear the discussion focus on costs, parents and taxation, the child appears to be forgotten. I recognise the work of Donegal County Childcare Committee is outstanding, but I am a little hesitant to support the report here, because I feel it might be better suited to the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection.

What was the impetus for the report? Was it initiated because parents were not able to access child care places and is it to do with demand and supply? What were the terms of reference of the report? Mr. Gray said he went into the report without knowing what it was going to produce. However, a report normally has a starting point and I am interested in knowing what that was.

The committee here has also had representations from professionals in the sector in regard to salary levels. If we look at the salary level of a professional in the sector versus the salary level of a primary school teacher, that to me indicates the value we put on child care.