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

It is great that the committee is doing this work because it provides another opportunity to hear those voices. I look forward to receiving the report because I know how committed the Deputy and her colleagues are in this regard.

I have also met with a range of representative bodies from the sector regarding the issue of wages and working conditions, including representatives from the Irish Municipal, Public and Civil Trade Union, IMPACT, and the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, SIPTU.

I have established the National Collaborative Forum for the Early Years Care and Education Sector, the early years forum, to allow issues of relevance to be discussed with key stakeholders. The forum has enabled consultation and engagement between me, key Department of Children and Youth Affairs officials, and key representatives of the sector. I have personally chaired the three meetings of the forum. At its second meeting, I requested that a section of the group's members meet up, outside the context of the forum, to discuss issues relating to wages, working conditions and the professionalisation of the sector and I look forward to hearing from them in that regard.

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