Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the three witnesses for coming here this morning. I thank Ms Hilliard for outlining what her work entails. I have worked in the sector and managed a crèche for three years so I know where she is coming from. Deputy Ó Laoghaire correctly pointed out that the baby room works at a loss. Believe it or not, the toddler room works at a small loss as well and one does not make money until ratios change. That is how it works.

I can understand why the model is going for ECCE and after-school care. That is where the money is, because the ratios are 1:10 or 1:11 and that is where my line of questioning is coming from. I look forward to the witnesses' responses.

I have a concern about the sustainability of the entire sector. Ms Heeney says there are 4,600 services throughout the country. In respect of the breakdown in terms of community versus private, the private sector has rents whereas in the past, the Government gave the community sector a subsidy to get started or community providers do not have to pay for a building. They are now all getting the same payment or allowance because everyone is coming under the one bracket. I am worried about both community and private providers. I do not know how they are going to make a penny. It is wrong that a professional must take a part-time job during the summer. We must respect and support people in the profession. I have a concern about community versus private. We do not want to pit mammies against mammies and we do not want to pit professional against professional either, be they public or private.

I thought the learner fund would have been expanded. Ms Hilliard is studying for a master's degree. More people in the sector want to undertake them, as well as FETAC levels 6 and 7. I was hoping that this fund would come in so that whenever a crèche said "my girls are ready. We want to progress. How can we support them? Can we go to GMIT in Galway or wherever?", that fund would have been made available universally so that the managers of crèches could have applied for it. I was concerned about that.

One Parliamentary Question I have tabled since the budget last week asked about the number of registered child minders who are registered on the Tusla system. I received my response this morning and the answer is 119. There are 4,600 services and another 113 Tusla-registered child minders who will be able to avail of the funding. We then have the gap involving approximately 70,000 children who are minded by unregistered child minders or whatever. I would like to hear the witnesses' thoughts on that because they did say they were prepared to work with them and bring them in under their wing. Is there a policy shift in respect of where they see this going? There are more children are being minded by unrecognised minders who will not avail of the service than there are of those who will.

The Minister made a comment on radio last Saturday about crèches being open longer and later. I would love to hear the witnesses' point of view on this. I have been a mother and provider and I know that routine is the most important thing you can give a child. What are the witnesses' opinions on the idea of crèches being open longer and later - from getting staff to do it onwards? It was batted around the large urban areas that this would be a model we could investigate.