Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On childcare professionals, we have an employment regulation order in place that has improved pay, terms and conditions for such professionals. It gives them a proper incremental scale and a body of workers’ rights beyond the minimum floor prescribed in legislation. I think that is helping in recruiting and retaining childcare professionals. Last time I visited a childcare facility in Blanchardstown in my constituency, it was great to see so many people who had come from other parts of the world because the terms and conditions are better in our childcare system. Many came from Spain, for example. It was good to see people attracted to Ireland by the opportunities, education and terms and conditions they benefit from.

There is a programme for Government commitment to establish a commission on care to look at this issue in the round. For administrative reasons, we can only have so many commissions on the go. The housing commission will finish its work in the summer and we intend to establish a commission on care and have it up and running, certainly this year and it is hoped before the middle of this year.

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