Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

"That Dáil Éireann: notes that:

- childcare fees for parents in this State remain amongst the highest in the world;

- one of the largest financial expenses for parents is childcare fees, forcing many families into debt and financial crisis or out of their current employment; 1699

- a recent United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund survey found that some families can spend up to one half of a salary to pay for two children in childcare;

- parents, particularly women, are not supported with an adequate childcare infrastructure to facilitate their return to work after childbirth;

- early years workers, who are highly qualified professionals, are paid some of the lowest wages of any sector, with many employed on or just above the minimum wage;

and

- Covid-19 has intensified the pressure on providers, launching them into a new world of regulations, which has resulted in acute staffing pressures and has played a significant factor in staff retention;

calls on the Government to commit to delivering a State childcare system in Budget 2022 which:

- reduces centre-based childcare fees for parents by at least one-third of current average fees next year and two-thirds thereafter;

- improves the pay and conditions of workers in the sector to ensure that entry-level positions provide for that of a living wage;

- implements pay scales and full continuous professional development for all staff which properly values childcare as a viable long-term career choice; and

- ensures all children and their families have access to good quality and affordable childcare; and

furthermore calls on the Government, within Budget 2022 parameters, to:

- develop a network of Child Contact Centres across the State;

- reinstate the Childminder Advisory Officer Service including the appointment of Childminder Advisory Officers in each Child Contact Centre; and

- increase the Childminder Development Grant by 50 per cent from €1,000 to €1,500."

I thank the Minister for being here. I am delighted to introduce this motion for debate in Dáil Éireann. I must first acknowledge the early years educators who assembled outside Leinster House this morning to highlight the serious issues with the national childcare scheme. The Minister is aware that I have raised this matter with him previously. I acknowledge his statement that a review is under way. I sincerely hope he can guarantee that the under-allocation of hours through the national childcare scheme and the provision of after-school care will be looked at, and that he and his Department will take on board the serious concerns highlighted and discussed at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth just before this debate. I also acknowledge that the Minister went outside to meet and speak with the group today. That is important and should be acknowledged, in fairness.

I am very disappointed but not surprised that amendments to the motion are to be tabled. This is a case of kicking the can even further down the road. Ireland does not have a great track record on investment in early years education. That point was acknowledged by members of some Government parties over the weekend. We continue to facilitate a piecemeal approach to the early years sector.

Despite all of the commitments and policies that are unveiled, we are still faced with a situation where some parents are paying the equivalent of a second mortgage or rent for childcare. A recent UNICEF survey ranked Ireland among the world's most expensive countries for early years education and childcare.

We know that the repercussions of exorbitant fees create significant barriers, particularly to women's employment. Women are adversely affected by higher fees, with many forced to stay out of the workforce while their children are small. I have always believed it is disingenuous for us to encourage women to go back to work and, given that we are in a political forum, for us to encourage women into politics, when often we do not have the services and infrastructure to support their return to work. I regularly have to deal with this type of juggling. I will continue to raise this issue as often as I can in this Chamber until we see some changes.

The motion is about providing families with a high-quality early years education system that is affordable, accessible and sustainable. It is obvious to everyone here this evening, and the wider public, that the early years sector is in crisis. We heard comments to that effect from some of the witnesses appearing before the committee earlier today. It goes without saying that early years education and childcare were in crisis before and during the Covid-19 pandemic and will remain in crisis after Covid if we do not see the serious commitment to sustainable investment that is needed, starting with next week's budget.

I am constantly contacted by parents and early years educators and providers who want to share their experiences as users operating in a broken system. I know I am not the only Deputy who has witnessed the failings of the current funding model. It affects my constituency and all the other constituencies. Early years education and childcare must be resourced adequately to provide lower fees for parents and stability for highly-qualified professionals. It must also deliver a sustainable future for providers. The three key issues are that fees are far too high for parents, wages are far too low for workers and there is a serious issue for providers trying to keep their doors open. The current funding model is failing children, their families, their educators and early years providers.

I was struck that in yesterday's national development plan only one page was dedicated to early years education and childcare. With projections of growth in Ireland's population of nearly 1 million over the next decade, I would like to have seen real commitment to capital expenditure and a plan for how we propose to cater for this sector into the future.

I am conscious the clock has not moved so I have no idea how much speaking time I have left. I was reluctant to raise that but must do so in fairness to my colleagues.

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