Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the party spokesperson on children and youth affairs, I will focus on that area of the budget initially and then will raise some other points.

While some of the parts of the children and youth affairs budget are welcome, unfortunately it was lacking in many other areas, especially in the detail on the early years and childcare sector. We need a radical new approach for the early years childcare sector. The current system is broken and completely unsustainable for staff. It is also financially crippling for thousands of parents. Families are being squeezed every which way through unaffordable rents and mortgages. We have a high cost of living and childcare costs that amount to a second mortgage or a second rent in some instances.

In our alternative budget, which was published on 1 October, one of the points we made was that we would commence a five-year programme of reform to ensure that early years and childcare staff are properly paid. That is absolutely crucial to the sector. We also need to see a slashing of fees for parents, which also was part of our proposal. It would cost €28 million in the first year and the full-year cost would be €85 million. Our proposals would reduce fees throughout the State for parents significantly over a five-year period, starting with a reduction of 13%. The reduction would increase to 66% by the end of the fifth year. The initial 13% reduction would amount to approximately €100 per month on a monthly crèche fee of €800.

We would also introduce a proper pay scale for all workers in the sector, staring with the current living wage of €12.30. This would increase year upon year over a five-year period for all staff across the entire childcare and early years sector. This is something we have long advocated. It is an issue about which I feel especially passionate. In 2017 I was involved in a report at committee level. We brought forward a motion about the wages and the terms and conditions in the sector. It is frustrating that although Deputies and Senators from all parties, as well as Independent Members and everyone else, recently were getting their picture taken at a launch by SIPTU about the terms and conditions for workers and their wages, we have a budget that completely failed to deliver on that commitment. Workers need to be financially supported and encouraged to upskill and remain in the sector. At the moment we are seeing burnout and people are not staying in the sector. That is causing major issues because there will be a staffing crisis. As with everything in this country, it has to get to a crisis before anyone starts to pay attention.

As it stands, the market model that we have for the childcare and early years sector risks being reduced to businesses designed solely for profit. We have all seen the revelations over the summer relating to the Hyde and Seek crèche reported by the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. We all know how horrifying that was and how horrible it was to watch. The reality is that if we do not address the issue of fees for parents, as well as terms and conditions and proper decent wages for workers, then the problem is basically going to continue. There is no point in saying anything different.

I wish to touch on the allocation for Tusla. No detail has been given on the number of social workers, aftercare workers or administrative workers will be put into place to relieve the administrative burden on social workers. There are no numbers whatsoever. A Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, report was published last week specifically relating to the Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary areas. It showed a major percentage of children who had no social workers. HIQA did an investigation on the issue. Many children were only appointed a social worker one or two months prior to the investigation. There are major issues in that part of the country, yet the budget does not say how many new social workers will be appointed. That makes me think the money they are talking about simply will go to plug the current gaps in the system and is not actual new money.

I wish to mention an issue about housing. It is one of the biggest issues that almost all Deputies deal with in their constituencies. We have become totally desensitised to the homeless situation. It has become normal. That is the only conclusion that I can come to in respect of homelessness. We talk about it so often here, yet absolutely nothing constructive is being done. The Good Shepherd Centre for the homeless in Kilkenny announced yesterday that there was no new money in this budget for the centre. It is doing fantastic work, as do other places both in my constituency and throughout the country, but no additional help is being given to it.

The school completion programme also falls within the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. It specifically focuses on the needs of the child. It is in place in certain schools and not every school has it. It provides counselling, play therapy, homework clubs and many services for children who are seen to be potentially at risk of dropping out of school. There is no new money for the programme. Its funding has been cut since 2008 and it operates on a shoestring budget. Those involved operate a great service, yet in a few years' time when it closes down because of the lack of money, everyone will be here throwing their hands up and asking how we let that happen. We let it happen because we are not putting the money into the services. That is what happens. It is as my colleague has said: it is about political choice and whether we want to help people who are currently struggling or whether we want to keep rewarding the people at the top. I think we have seen this Government for enough years to know exactly where its priorities lie.

That last point I want to make relates to the carbon tax. There obviously are urban areas where I live but we have many rural areas and there is no public transport. I drive here every day because that is the only choice I have. The last train that goes to my home town is at 6.25 p.m. As we all know, the House often sits far longer than that. People do not have the choice to use public transport. The Government cannot penalise them with a carbon tax if they do not have that choice. It is fine if they have the choice of public transport but we do not have that choice in so many areas. It is cruel. A significant number of people are already panicking over the carbon tax. People do not know how they are going to pay for coal and oil.

They do not have the option of changing to newer heating systems. They do not have the money. Currently, they barely make ends meet. Many families every week must choose between paying the heating bill or the electricity bill. That is the reality. If the Minister of State does not believe that is the reality, he should go out to some of the constituencies and talk to people. Their reaction since Tuesday and the announcement of the carbon tax is telling. People say they will cut back on this or that or something else in order that they can afford the heating as we come into winter. It is totally unacceptable that we are allowing that to happen in this day and age. We are being told that everyone needs to upgrade to electric cars. That is great. Is the Government going to subsidise all these cars for people? That is not the reality for most people. They cannot afford to make those changes. We cannot penalise someone who does not have the option. That is exactly what this tax is doing. It is a fast revenue-raising measure. It is not anything to do with the environment or climate change. That is the last point I will make.

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