Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is simply an outlier in terms of how little State funding is spent on childcare. UNICEF recommends that at least 1% of GDP be invested in childcare. The OECD average is 0.7%. The optimal amount is 2%.

Ireland invests a mere 0.3% in childcare. We cannot simply provide high-quality childcare if we are not prepared to fund high-quality childcare. It is not rocket science.

I have spoken to many parents and providers over the past number of years in this regard. The sector can be boiled down as follows: providers want sustainability and parents want affordability. The providers do not want to be charging parents additional fees to make up for the inadequate Government supports yet in most cases they have no option if they want to sustain the sector. There is a huge turnover of staff within the sector, as the Minister knows, and even though it is a degree-led sector, many people are getting the lowest wages that could possibly be given.

I tis very simple to tell what is a Government's priority. We do it by looking at the amount of money it spends on a sector and the amount of money it pays people working within that sector. Whether it is looking after older people or educating and looking after the youngest, typically, people involved in that sector in this State get the minimum wage. I find that incredible. It shows that the Government affords minimum value to people working in this sector.

The wage subsidy during Covid was the most stability that childcare workers have had for years. The low level of Government funding means that sustainability of wages in this sector falls upon the parents to pay. Meanwhile, the suspension of income during the pandemic and the inadequacy of Government supports has put many providers out of business. In the first year of the pandemic, 193 childcare providers were forced to shut their doors, adding further pressure to the supply of childcare places. We in Aontú were the first to bring this to the knowledge of the Dáil at that time and we put significant pressure on the Government to ensure that the sector, which was in danger of collapse, was protected. We still do not know how many of those childcare facilities have closed in the intervening time. In the words of one childcare provider we spoke to, it could take a decade for the sector to get back to where it was pre Covid.

All of this Government-induced mess has led to a sector that is broken and incapable of meeting the needs of children or parents. I spoke to one Montessori school which said it is getting calls from parents who are trying to get children as young 12 to 18 months in because they cannot afford other opportunities for them. In many ways, the child's early years development is actually being determined or dictated by the level of funding that is happening in this State. I know of another self-employed parent who has to bring her newborn child to work with her because childcare is unaffordable for the family. Another family living in the city centre pays €1,000 per month to bring their child to a childcare facility in Swords. They have a commute to bring their child to a particular location. Parents of children with additional needs are currently faced with even more difficult prospects.

What is in place? We have the universal child subsidy, which is 50 cent an hour for up to 45 hours a week per child aged six months or older. This works out at a maximum of €22.50 per week, or €90 per month. How in the name of God is that adequate? The lowest available rate for part-time childcare is €109, rising to over €250 for a child in full-time care. ECCE capitation grants need to be increased, access and inclusion model, AIM, funding needs to be increased, the universal childcare subsidy is wholly inadequate and the percentage of our GDP investment is totally out of sync with the rest of the developed world. Budget 2022 needs to include a radical increase in funding for this suffering sector. If it does not, we are simply going to see this pain, suffering and instability continue for another year.

This is not rocket science. It should be a matter of priority. The Government has, in my view, shown the lack of priority, first, for children and, second, for early years educators, childcare professionals and struggling parents by not prioritising funding. It has created a contractor model. We would like to see a situation where there is increased funding to providers, but also where parents are given a tax break so they can choose whether to send their child to a childcare provider or take time off work to be able to look after their children themselves.

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