Mr. Darragh O'Connor:

I thank the Deputy. Much of it comes down to whether we value early years services as an essential public service. If we do, we have to make sure that we put in adequate investment so that it is affordable and high quality.

Do we make that decision for the benefits of children and, obviously, families? If we do, how do we make sure we put the money in where the State is confident that it is able to achieve its policy goals with regard to the delivery of high-quality, affordable and sustainable services?

Certainly, one of the recent developments is the establishment of the joint labour committee for the early years sector. It means that the union employers can negotiate rates of pay for the different grades across the sector. That would give the State the confidence that if it invests additional money, it knows that the money will go towards pay if that is what it is there for. Of course, other money is needed for general sustainability and affordability within the sector as well. That is essentially the decision we have to make. If we think it is an important service, are we going to invest in it? If we do not, we are left with the existing crisis of high fees, which are driving up the cost of living, and low pay, which is forcing high staff turnover and impacting on quality and sustainability.