Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the motion from Sinn Féin as an opportunity to debate the important issue of early learning and childcare. I support the amendment put forward by the Minister, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman. It is clear from the debate so far that we all recognise the importance of early learning and childcare for children and their families, as well as for society and the wider community. We are all in agreement that further efforts are needed to: reduce out-of-pocket costs for families; to improve the pay and working conditions of the hard-working and committed workforce; to reduce the administrative and regulatory burden on providers; to maintain the providers on a solid and sustainable footing; and to ensure that children get the very best possible start in life.

In opposing the Deputies' motion in putting forward an amendment the Government's objective is not to claim there are no challenges in the sector but rather to demonstrate that the Government has set out a pathway to address these challenges, and has already made significant progress in this regard with the European Commission recently endorsing our approach and welcoming the substantial progress we have made.

In his opening statement, the Minister described the constituent parts of the together for better Government funding model for early learning and childcare. He also outlined key indicators that show together for better is bringing enormous benefit to children, their families, educators, practitioners and providers. Among the achievements in year one was: a fee freeze among 95% of the services, which meant an increase to the national childcare scheme, NCS, subsidy that was fully felt by parents; a 15% increase in the number of services offering the NCS; and historic employment regulation orders that resulted in the improvement of pay for an estimated 73% of those working in the sector. Not long ago I sat where Deputy Funchion is sitting, when we the biggest strike I ever witnessed and 20,000 people took to Merrion Street, all of whom were protesting to ensure their employment regulation order. That has been delivered. Further achievements in year one include extended support for graduate-led provision outside the ECCE programme and a significant expansion of capacity. Analyses show the increased capacity in this type of capacity that is the highest demand relative to supply. There was also a 90% increase in the number of children benefitting from the NCS. Early indications are showing that we will build on these achievements in year two - already, 4,200 services are in contract for core funding - and we will be committing to maintaining the fee freeze at 2021 levels, and offering the ECCE programme and the NCS to families. More than 127,000 children currently benefit from the NCS. We understand that negotiations of the joint labour committee are at an advanced stage with further improvements in pay expected later this year through an updated employment regulation order.

The Minister earlier signalled his ambition to invest further in this funding model in the upcoming budget, which will yield further benefits for children and their families, educators, practitioners and providers. As the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities I am very aware of the importance of inclusion of all children in early learning and childcare services and the provision of additional support for services when necessary. This is why I welcome in particular the commitment by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to extend the access and inclusion model, AIM, supports beyond the ECCE programme. I have seen at first hand the enormous difference AIM has made since it was first introduced in 2016. It has enabled many young children with disabilities to attend and be fully included with meaningful participation in the ECCE programme and mainstream preschool. It has also supported the development of a more inclusive culture of practices in preschools and developed the confidence of the workforce in their capacity to include children with disabilities.

I also welcome the important work under way to develop the equal participation model, which is identified as a key action in the Government's From Poverty to Potential: A Programme Plan for Child Poverty and Well-being 2023-2025.

In addition to the funding model, the wider and ambitious reform agenda under way in the area of early learning and childcare through the implementation of a range of other policies and programmes deserves special mention. This agenda includes the work under way to finalise a new implementation plan for First 5 to cover the period to the end of 2025, including setting out a new State investment target; the work under way to implement the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028, with a commitment to opening the National Council For Special Education, NCSE, to childminders early next year, which I believe will be truly transformative; the work under way to implement fully all 25 recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, the report of the expert group for the new funding model; the work under way to implement Nurturing Skills, the workforce plan for the sector for 2021 to 2028, with commitments to develop career pathways, promote careers in the sector and support staff recruitment, complementing recent achievements and future plans to improve pay and conditions of employment in the sector; the work under way to develop an action plan for administrative and regulatory simplification, as announced by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, recently and which was clearly part of Deputy Funchion's opening contribution; the planning work under way for a new State agency to support the delivery of early learning and childcare; and the €70 million building blocks capital programme under the national development plan which is being designed to meet current and long-term early learning and childcare infrastructure needs.

Early learning and childcare is a public good which benefits across society. While Government accepts that challenges remain and that further developments and investment are required, the work committed to and the progress by Government will deliver much-needed and long-lasting reform to this essential sector. This is why I am supporting the amendment.

It is important for me also to say as a colleague in government that I have seen it is more than just a listening ear. There is a lot of action being demonstrated there. Sometimes good sustainable policy foundation frameworks are needed to change the agenda as to how we are delivering and investing in childcare. What I have seen the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, do within the Department in recent years is put in that framework. That framework is to address career pathways to put in the opportunities for families, educators and providers to all feel that the tide is rising to support them. It is in clear recognition of listening to all within the sector.

It is not one piece that makes the sector of childcare. That is why it is so complex. It is the educators, the providers, the child at the centre and the parents who are entrusting their most precious every morning to the providers. There is quite a vast array of how we support, from the community to the most disadvantaged, to the privates and perhaps to the larger providers as well, but trying to strike that balance while ensuring we have sustainable childcare is most important and is a predominant feature at all times for the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman.

The Minister and the Department, with my support, will continue to invest in childcare. It is an ambitious plan the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has set out here, but he has asked four clear questions as well as to where exactly we, as a collective, want to see childcare going.

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