Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a variance between the details I read out and the information the Deputy got from SIPTU. SIPTU, in my opinion, classify child care workers at a different mean level. For argument's sake, the OECD and the CSO take child care workers as a sector. That could be somebody working in a crèche right up to somebody working for Tusla, as a clinical social care worker. That is where the mean figure is coming from.

I agree with the Deputy that we expect a very high standard, and rightly so, from our child care providers and yet they are probably among the lower-paid workers in the country. I was also at the protest outside the House a couple of years ago that the Deputy mentioned.

A great deal of work is being done with the sector. Many educational resources are being provided, including compensation for improvements in standards in the sector not only with regard to education but also in terms of facilities. However, the salary is very much on the lower end of the scale, which is why the Low Pay Commission and particularly the aspiration to move to the living wage are important policies for the Government. That is where I hope we would pursue it.

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