Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for keeping an eye on my time. I thank Deputy Troy for giving the House the opportunity to discuss the issue of child care and early childhood care in particular.

I refer to the hype that came with the formation of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2011. The energy in the sector at that time was the result of the work of our late colleague Deputy Brian Lenihan, which was continued by Deputies Brendan Smith and Barry Andrews. This work laid the foundation for community-based child care organisations across the country, with top-class facilities which attracted a whole generation of people to work in child care services. Much of that energy has been lost. What remains is a corps of very talented people working in the child care sector who are frustrated at the lack of progress in their careers and their profession - which is what it is. They have been forced to take to the streets this day week to draw attention to their plight.

There are many inconsistencies in how children are treated. The Department was established to do away with the silos in the area of child policy, which the permanent government loves in order to avoid responsibility. However, four years on, there is still an evasion of responsibility in so many sectors and particularly in the area of early childhood care.

The first issue is cost. I noted that the Minister looked quizzically at Deputy Troy when he referenced the OECD figures. An Indecon report commissioned by Donegal County Childcare Committee showed an annual minimum charge of €16,200 for child care fees. The fees in Dublin are probably much higher. As Deputy Troy stated, that is another mortgage and it is money that people do not have. Yet the Government's amendment makes no recognition of the need to do something. There is talk of increasing the number of places - which is welcome - and talk of increasing investment. However, there is no commitment by the Minister to take a specific initiative to relieve that burden. One must assume there is no interest in even looking at this issue, an issue that could be considered under the Action Plan for Jobs, for example. The cost of child care is preventing people from going back into the labour force, because the cost of €16,200 must be factored into the household budget if someone is considering taking on a job. It is a big job that would give that kind of money or support.

There are still not enough places in community subsidised child care services for people who wish to return to work. Many people, when given the option of a job, are staying on the live register with the supports that this provides. The cost of child care is within the control of the Minister and it is probably the hidden factor that prevents people from returning to work, which they will not refer to for fear of being branded. It is important that people be encouraged and incentivised to return to the workforce. Child care needs to be brought into the open, considering the number of informal child care networks around the country, which are important in themselves. Parents make use of family and friends for child care support. This aspect needs to be formalised without destroying these arrangements, which make up for the shortage of places. The shortage would be much worse if this informal system was taken away.

I refer to professional carers. The people involved in child care have walked the walk. They have studied for FETAC qualifications and taken courses. We trust them with our children every day and they deliver on that trust. They are responsible for helping young children to prepare for the tough world outside the home and for the educational process. Yet we do not value those who work in the early childhood sector and we take them for granted. No professional training courses have been set out for them and there is limited career progression. The workforce development plan for the child care sector was launched in 2010, but little has been done to make that a reality and little has been done to lay down a career path for that workforce. Pay scales for the sector are still being negotiated. The complete lack of pay scales in the sector undermines any notion of professionalism and erodes the prospect of career progression. The need to place child care workers, whose work is very responsible, within the remit of the low pay commission speaks volumes. If we value our children and their care then we should value those who care for them at all levels. We should give them proper rewards in a proper career structure and give them the professional respect they deserve.

I refer to the many anomalies between the community child care sector and the private sector, which was developed when the community sector was not resourced and did not exist. The two parts are treated differently in terms of rates, State services, subvention and subsidies. This situation needs to change. The private sector is providing a vital service in areas where the community sector does not exist for whatever reason. The community service has a commercial advantage over the private service where both are located in a town or community. This would not be permitted elsewhere, and the Minister needs to examine this aspect. I hope that in this regard his colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will deal with the issue of rates. If child care costs are to be reduced, then the cost of provision must be reduced. Private services are expected to pay rates, but child care is a service that allows so much more commerce to happen. This is wrong and the situation needs to be examined.

I referred to the energy which was apparent in the latter years of the previous decade. Communities came together to provide a child care service. This shows the success of the county child care committee model. We have wonderful people working in that system. The Minister needs to engage with those people who are working at the coalface and dealing with all aspects of the system every day, and they are aware of the difficulties. They provide the research and the statistics. I suggest that other Departments examine this model in terms of delivering policy objectives and investment.

We must reharness this energy, and go back to the spirit that was there in the mid and late part of the previous decade and get it going again in the community and private sectors. We must provide services in areas where they do not exist, and give those communities the model and template which worked so successfully in other communities. We should tell the private sector it is an equal partner in this and we should not dismiss or penalise its involvement in favour of the community sector. They should be joint partners in providing the places the Minister seeks to provide, and the services they provide should be treated equally. Most importantly, the cost issue must be dealt with as child care is the biggest cost facing many families today. Society cannot continue to stick its head in the sand and hope the issue will go away. A total of €16,200 a year is a hell of a lot of money. For many people it is the cost of bricks and mortar, but it is also what it costs for two children to be minded. It is a huge amount of money, for which there is no support. This Government and the next Government will have to face up to this. The lack of any reference to cost in the Government's amendment shows its priorities.

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