Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The reply from the Minister for Finance to the parliamentary question outlined how there are constitutional issues and then commercial issues. The cost of insurance working group and the Judicial Council Bill may have some effect, but in the meantime there are increasing costs for childcare facilities, particularly community facilities. The private ones have other resources they can use that community ones cannot. The ones I know have been told their commercial rates could increase by 3.5% this year. They have had insurance cost increases of several hundred euro. Those few hundred euro mean a lot to small community preschools. They are also complying with all the fire safety work, which, of course, they agree with, but, again, that is a further cost on them. The other cost issue is payment to the staff. The pay is very low. Someone who has done a degree in early childhood care will not get the wage commensurate with holding a degree. This is part of a picture of early childhood care.

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