Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I fully agree with the Deputy on the wages and conditions in the sector. I made the point about one particular condition, namely, sick pay, which has been highlighted to me by both SIPTU and ICTU. Now that the Government is looking at a national solution to sick pay, which is very welcome, I will ensure that this solution addresses the childcare sector as well.

I also fully agree with the Deputy on wages. The purpose of the review is to ensure that the substantial amount of money we are investing in childcare finds its way to childcare workers. It is not solely a matter of additional money but also one of ensuring we have the mechanisms to reach childcare professionals. Everybody accepts that these mechanisms have not worked successfully thus far. The funding model work currently under way is very important for this reason.

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