Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I have two sets of questions, the first on the disrespect shown to childcare workers by the Government and the second on the lack of supports for parents during this pandemic, including the proposal we have brought forward for paid childcare for working parents. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated again just how essential childcare and childcare workers are. It is worth noting that over 90% of childcare workers are women. The Government and the Department have completely failed to support either parents or those childcare workers during this pandemic. They have been full of praise and claps but have failed to put their money where their mouths are.

SIPTU carried out a survey in the last month which found that 89% of childcare workers disagreed with the statement: "Early Years Professionals have been valued as frontline workers by government during the pandemic."

Is it any wonder that they feel undervalued when childcare is the lowest paid sector of the economy, when 90% of childcare workers say they struggle to make ends meet, when 88% of childcare workers earn less than €12.30 an hour with an average wage of just under €11.50 an hour, and where almost 12 months into a pandemic, in a front-line job, working in a situation where social distancing is often impossible, 77% of childcare workers are not entitled to any sick pay from their employer? The positivity rate of mass testing in childcare is running at 10% compared to 6.6% generally and there have been 42 outbreaks in childcare facilities in the past two weeks, and yet the Government will not even provide workers with proper sick pay or a living wage.

It seems a long time ago, but it was this time last year that 30,000 childcare workers took to the streets to demand improved wages and conditions. They had the left's support then. They have it now. They will be protesting again online this Friday. They and I are looking for a commitment from the Minister to introduce a living wage of at least €15 an hour for childcare workers, to commit to making the massive investment in State funding needed to pay childcare workers properly as the essential public servants that they are, and to make free public childcare available to all parents who need it.

The other question I have relates to the situation of many parents. They are at this stage at their wits' end trying to juggle work and childcare during the lockdown with no support from the State. They are expected to double job - holding down the regular work while also home-schooling - and many are simply not able to do it. Last week, I questioned the Minister for Social Protection about the supports available and was told the answer from her Department is to give up one's job and to go on the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. The Minister also passed the buck to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, stating that parental leave is his responsibility. At present, in Ireland, there is zero entitlement to paid leave for parents after one's child reaches the age of one and even when the new entitlement to parents' leave is finally brought in, any entitlement to paid leave for parents will end at the child's grand old age of two. Other countries across Europe have brought in new entitlements to paid childcare leave from work during the pandemic. Does the Minister not agree that it is about time that we did the same? Germany, for example, introduced an extra ten days' paid leave per parent to enable them to mind children at home because of Covid measures, such as school closures, illness or self-isolation. Austria, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia have all introduced paid leave for parents with children. There are similar measures in France. Once again, it is women who are hardest hit by this, shouldering the bulk of the childcare work. What is the Minister doing to help parents, especially mothers, remain in the workforce and assist them with their additional childcare responsibilities during Covid? Will the Minister agree with our Bill? Will he agree to give parents a break and introduce a special Covid parental or childcare benefit, as in Germany and other EU countries?

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