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

Like the Deputy, I recognise the online day of action taking place tomorrow marking last year's march and I also recognise the crucial issue of pay and resolving this in the sector. In every session of questions and answers, we have engaged on this matter and we are seeing progression, in that last time we were talking about a JLC preprocess. Now that is done and I am expecting the report.

The Department is not the employer of childcare professionals. They are employed by private service providers. We are putting in place the infrastructure to bring those representing the employers and those representing the trade union childcare professionals together and we are providing as supportive an environment as we can and wider supports throughout the economy to enable that process. A sustainability fund was introduced by my predecessor, also with a view to sustaining that process. I see the crucial importance of increasing wages across the sector and there will be no lack of speed on my part or that of my Department to take the recommendations we get from Dr. Duffy and work towards implementing them.

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