Dr. Anne-Marie Brooks:

We would be in full agreement with Senator Clonan regarding the benefits of the sector not just through the pandemic, where we really saw how much everybody relies on this sector to function well, but also because of the benefits it brings to children, parents and families.

Regarding the additional burden we place on providers for costs like sick pay, we are satisfied that there is sufficient funding in core funding to meet those costs. If there are services that are struggling to meet those costs, there is a safety net through the sustainability fund. We are confident the level of core funding is sufficient to cover those costs. In many cases, it is a substantial level of funding and new funding to services, which has supported a range of very positive things relating to pay, supporting the fee freeze and funding for graduates outside the ECCE programme but if there are services that are struggling to meet those costs, there is that safety net the Minister put in place for sustainability and there is more core funding coming, which is why we need good data to make decisions around how that money is allocated to address the needs and issues described by the Senator.