Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Give us the opportunity. I have been in the job for only 20 days, while the Minister has been in his current role for only 24 days. In all fairness, I welcome the debate tonight because it is urgently required and we need to set out our stalls. It also gives both of us an opportunity, from where the Department is sitting at this time, to flesh through where we are coming from and discuss what we are going to do and what is in the programme for Government. We do not want to shy behind one or another agency; that is not what this is about. It is about the parents, the workers, the providers and ensuring the Exchequer is protected. What anybody would want from a Minister who addresses the House is that all segments be protected. It is not simply a matter of approaching it or simplifying it in one move because it demands a multifaceted approach. Approximately 25% of the sector comprises community centre-based settings, while the rest comprises mostly private individuals, as well as a small number of childminders, a group that has shrunk in recent years. I am highly critical of that trend because it is not one size fits all. We need to ensure we can provide childcare options with subsidies for parents so they can afford to go out to work in the morning. That is what it is all about.

While I welcome the motion, I will support the countermotion put forward by the Minister. It is gas that we are all in agreement tonight, although that probably will not happen often. It is clear from the debate that the provision of early learning and care of school-age children needs to be reformed. We need to reduce the costs for parents, improve wages and conditions for the workers, reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on the providers and, most important, ensure that children get the very best possible start in life.

The Government has set out its commitments to childcare in the programme for Government, which sets out a wide range of reforms, including increased investment, the establishment of a new agency, Childcare Ireland, and the introduction of a new funding model. In opposing the motion and putting forward an amendment, the Government is not saying there are no challenges in the sector but is putting forward proposals to improve fundamentally the structure, regulation and funding of the sector, to make lasting changes to the way that childcare services are subsidised and supported.

Opposition speakers have set out problems faced by parents and providers, but some Members of the Opposition have been a little disingenuous. In an attempt to tackle insurance costs, Sinn Féin's election manifesto proposed to guarantee insurance cover for childcare providers under public bodies such as schools and hospitals. While it is a good suggestion, I am not sure whether providers are aware that such a plan implies that private providers, which constitute 75% of the sector, would have to be nationalised to qualify for the insurance. From my discussions with providers, I know that most did not realise this could mean the loss of the business they had spent years building up. It is only fair that Sinn Féin at least be clear with providers as to what its plans mean and that it reveal where the money tree for funding such an option would come from.

The Government recognises that the issues in the sector were highlighted with the insurance crisis in December last year and the massive protests that took place in February 2020. This really brings home how the Department can respond to this Covid-19 crisis.

I recognise the contribution of the State's 4,500 providers in centre-based settings to the development of the early learning and care sector, with 31,000 staff working in those centre-based settings. Much of the push for reform comes from the sector, which has always demonstrated a commitment to getting the most for children in its care. The Government will continue to work with providers, practitioners, parents and children's representatives as much-needed development and reform continues. I also acknowledge the important work of childminders and say that the Department hopes to continue the development of this sector to enable much larger numbers to avail of Government supports.

The closure of childcare services during the Covid-19 pandemic has brought home to many the importance of childcare to our economy, specifically to working families, and for children's positive development. The excitement and happiness shown by children returning to crèches on 29 June demonstrated the importance of learning and care outside of the home and the value that children put on fun, play and play-based learning and social interactions in crèches, preschools and minders' homes.

Childcare is the shorthand we use for early learning and care services, and it is an inaccurate term in many ways. For children, their crèches, preschools and minders' houses are not just somewhere they go when their parents go to work; they form an enriching contribution to their well-being and development. We need to ensure not only that parents are supported in working with accessible and affordable childcare but also that children receive a world-class early education provided by valued educators.

The reforms set out in the programme for Government will ensure the quality of early learning and care will continue to grow. Ireland has made strides in the past five years, with all staff qualifications at a minimum of level 5 in early learning and a quarter of staff qualified to degree level in early childhood studies. These qualifications allow staff to deliver the best learning and care to the children they look after. The Government is committed to increasing the number of staff with higher qualifications in the sector. We are aware that the providers will need to ensure staff wages, terms and conditions improve. There is a legacy of low pay in the sector and we will work to change that to ensure that staff earn a fair wage and that they can build an attractive career in the sector.

I have mentioned the happiness of children in returning to childcare from 29 June. There was undoubtedly also great happiness and perhaps relief experienced by parents. I thank all those services that have opened so far for the preparations they made to address the health, safety and well-being of children returning, for their adherence to public health guidance and for the way they reached out to parents to assure them of the measures being taken. It is great to see over 85% of services normally open over the summer now open.

Deputy Sherlock mentioned disability and I will address it in the few seconds I have left. He should be aware that the guidance around the reopening of services has been issued by the HSE, with the aim of services opening from August onwards. It is very important to note that each service must incorporate HSE guidance as part of the reopening roadmap for adults. There are 1,000 services and 18,000 adult service users. At this time, the HSE and individual service providers are putting together individual care plans for users so they can step back into those services. Funding will be required and proposals are being put together on what is needed and the funding model. This is an open piece of work and I am happy to say I have asked the HSE to update its website with information on the 1,000 services so there can be clear communication on when they are anticipated to open. This is ensure everybody can know what is going on, and all service users, parents and guardians can be informed of the pathway to reopening.

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