Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Perversely, the raising of standards of living for people working in the sector has had a negative impact on those providing community services under the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme. I have been contacted by one such provider of long standing who tells me the increase in wages has had a serious impact on her core funding, such that her ability to pay everybody equally in her service is impacted. Will the Minister consider a review or survey of early years providers - ECCE schemes in particular - to measure the impact of increases in the core rates? Those increases are vital but have a negative impact on the core funding of some providers.

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