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

In the Minister's comments following the publication of the report, he said the findings on unit cost provided some confidence in our current levels of subvention. He then offered the caveat that he was acutely aware that the unit cost is based on pay rates in the sector, which are unacceptably low. The difficulty is that if one focuses on that, as the Minister did in his press statement, it will be turned back on him by Merrion Street as a justification for not increasing the subsidy. The commitment in the programme for Government on childcare Ireland is to develop career paths for childcare staff. That is imperative. It cannot be done based on the terms and conditions under which staff currently work.

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