Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for arriving late. I was in the Dáil asking questions of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their contributions. While I did not hear all of the presentations, I assure our guests that I read all the submissions yesterday and went through them with a fine toothcomb. I compliment the witnesses on the quality of their submissions, which are detailed and well thought out. Most people would find little in them with which they would disagree. The issue is to figure out what our priorities should be, given that it will not be possible to achieve everything immediately. A number of speakers referred to a timeframe up to 2020, which indicates that this is a long-term project. We all know that affordable, accessible and high-quality child care services are required, and this will require substantial investment in the sector.

I will ask a few questions rather than making a long speech. I will not ask questions on pay, although I recognise that professional child care workers are underpaid and many of them cannot secure mortgages or car loans and must take second jobs. It is unacceptable that child care workers are paid more in many second jobs, such as bar or takeaway work. The submissions provide great detail on the issue of pay.

The submission received from the Association of Childhood Professionals refers to the requirement to work with the Síolta and Aistear programmes "despite the lack of a national roll-out". What training must be provided? What types of module are required and within what timeframe must they be provided?

The National Childhood Network's submission states that the delivery of the programme should be of a high standard and rolled out in a co-ordinated, standardised manner. The implication of this statement is that this is not currently the position. Is that correct?

The joint committee discussed the issue of tax credits at previous hearings. What are the witnesses' views on proposals to introduce child care tax credits for parents?

The National Childhood Network also proposes that "access to funding to subsidise the cost of childminding should also be made, possibly subject to childminders meeting agreed criteria". How does it propose to achieve this outcome?

In light of recent strikes by child care workers in Germany, will the witnesses comment on the manner in which the German Government is addressing this issue? What responses or solutions are being provided in Germany and can we learn from the experience there?

The need to increase capitation grants has been raised. Will the witnesses provide precise figures on capitation grants in primary education? Do the rates vary? Unfortunately, I did not have time to check the figures on this, but I am aware that the witnesses made some comparisons.

The issue of subventions has been raised on several occasions at my outreach meetings. Should all providers, both in the private and community sectors, avail of the subvention? Some communities do not have a community child care service. This issue has arisen in my meetings and I would like to hear the views of the witnesses on it.

How do our guests respond to the Minister's recent announcement that the Department does not have sufficient money to fund a second free preschool year? Would capacity be a problem if a second preschool year were introduced immediately?

The Association of Childhood Professionals calls for increased investment to facilitate lower staff-child ratios where services are supporting children with special needs. How would this be done? Is the ACP suggesting that the capitation rate for children with special needs be increased, perhaps doubled? Does this include support for special needs assistants? What training is provided for staff to deal with children with complex additional needs? I am sure some children have uncommon needs. How are they dealt with?

How can participants on community employment, CE, schemes be used fairly and in a way which will ensure that they do not replace regular employees?

The issue of a degree-led workforce in the area of child care has arisen. Some people have expressed the view that quality of care is often only gained with practical experience. It has also been noted that a person with a level 8 degree may not be good on the practical side. What kind of balance can be struck in this regard?

How can the position with regard to grant applications be improved and how can the process be made more accessible to providers? In the current year an issue has arisen in respect of the community and private sectors and the way in which grants can be applied for. Those in the private sector can only apply for a €500 grant and this has been flagged as a matter of concern.

I am sure our guests will agree that two full years of access to preschool provision should be a right for children with special needs, regardless of how this time is divided up for use. How can special equipment be better provided for these children? It has also been brought to the attention of the committee that even though there is a system whereby children with special needs can divide up their preschool time over the two years on the basis of two days per week in the first year and three per week in the second, some children with these needs remain undiagnosed so they cannot avail of this. If children are diagnosed during the year and if it is found that they are not fit to attend mainstream schools, they will be obliged to remain at home for the year if their parents cannot afford to pay. How can we counteract this? That to which I refer strengthens further the argument to the effect that if children have additional needs, they should be entitled to two years of free preschool provision. Another issue that arises relates to the facts that children who may only be attending preschool for two or three days per week are obliged to attend for five days per week when they move to primary school.