Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept that wages in the early years sector are unacceptably low and that working conditions are poor. This affects the quality of service offered to children. Addressing these issues is a priority concern for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As my Department is not the employer, however, I have no direct control over wages or working conditions.

Fundamentally, the problem relates to the historically low level of public investment in early years services. In last year’s budget, I secured an increase of 35% in funding for the early years sector and I shall keep pushing for further investment. The total level of investment is well below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, average of 0.8% of gross domestic product, GDP, and still further behind the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF, recommendation of 1% of GDP to secure an early years system that is high quality, affordable and accessible for all.

Within my Department several changes have been implemented to support the professionalisation of the early years sector. For example, within the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, the higher capitation grant provides additional financial support where the preschool leader is qualified to national framework of qualifications, NFQ, level 7 or above. It is a measure that supports the employment of more highly qualified staff, though it cannot guarantee higher wages. To support higher qualifications, we have also recently awarded a learner fund bursary to assist attainment of level 7 and it is hoped to repeat this process for those graduating in time for the 2018 intake of children into those services.

The affordable childcare scheme will significantly increase the level of public investment in the sector and it will create a framework for further future investment.

To help support the future development of the affordable childcare scheme, as well as the ECCE programme, officials within the Department have commenced work on scoping the requirements to inform a tender process for the independent review of the cost of quality child care.

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