Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State said earlier that she does not agree that there is a race to the bottom, which does not mean there is no race to the bottom. There is. The child care sector employs approximately 25,000 women and, as Deputy Gino Kenny said, the average pay is €9.56 per hour. Many of the workers must do significant preparation and administrative work which in many cases is unpaid. That is unacceptable and causes burn out. In spite of the high cost of child care to parents, the educators on whom the quality of care depends are undervalued and underpaid. There is no job security or paid leave for many. Many child care workers are laid off in the summer months and many services are unable to pay staff for anything other than core hours. There is evidence that highly skilled graduates are being lost from the sector. The pay and conditions of child care workers must be a consideration for a quality child care system to work.

I understand the Department of Education and Skills is carrying out a comprehensive review of the education and training qualifications in early childhood education. When will that review be complete? Would it also be possible to carry out a review of wages paid to child care workers, with a view to introducing salary scales and raising payments accordingly? Will the Government also review the rights of child care workers with a view to strengthening and enhancing them?

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