Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On research, my colleague, the former Minister, Katherine Zappone, commissioned the consultancy, Crowe, to complete an independent review of the costs of providing childcare in the early years services in Ireland. The review was published by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, this week. The former Minister commissioned that work because of staff turnover. As the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, said, this has a significant impact on continuity of service but also on individual children who build up relationships with childcare workers.

The sector lacks a sick pay system. At the same time, there are high costs for parents. One of the issues highlighted in the Crowe report published by the Minister is that there is evidence of higher costs for a higher quality of service, whereby staff who are more highly trained are providing a higher quality of service. Many of those staff are leaving the sector and are moving into much lower grade jobs that pay far better.

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