Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue today. I acknowledge that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, was before the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs earlier today, where she agreed to make available a programme support payment of, as I understand it, approximately €1,500 to childcare providers. In many cases, insurance costs are increasing twofold, tenfold and, in some instances, 20-fold, in particular for non-members of Early Childhood Ireland. A provider in my constituency who paid €550 in 2019 is being quoted €2,100 for next year by Arachas. The operator has been told that if she pays €245 to join Early Childhood Ireland, which is partly funded by the Government, she will only have to pay €1,500. The risk profile of this service has not increased and it has passed all of the regulatory rigours. It is vital that services that are not members of Early Childhood Ireland are not penalised.

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