Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish to talk to the Minister of State about the absence of childcare provision in Dublin Central. I use the example of Dublin Central because it is the area I am proud to represent, but I could be talking about any community to be found the length and breadth of Ireland.

Childcare provision and access to childcare, where it exists, is simply too difficult. The Government made a commitment before the election, promising to progressively reduce childcare costs to €200 monthly under the national childcare scheme. In reality, parents in Dublin Central are still facing the same crippling costs. This is only, though, if they can even get a childcare place at all. In communities across Dublin Central, families are scrambling for places. Some parents are registering their children before they are even born and still cannot secure a spot. What good is a childcare subsidy, however good it may be to the parents lucky enough to get a place, when most parents cannot even find a place to look after their children?

Childcare provision is about communities. Parents cannot go back to work if they cannot find anywhere for their children to be minded. Even before I came down to the Chamber, one of the last emails I received was from a constituent in East Wall. She and her partner recently had a child and they are now scrambling to find a place. The fear is even greater because they see a 600-unit apartment block being built above them and know this is going to limit their ability to find a childcare place even more. There was genuine fear in the community in Stoneybatter in recent months because an afternoon childcare service was at risk of closing. It is very much on-off as to whether that is going to happen, but even the prospect of removing such an afternoon service sent the community into a spiral. Protests were held outside and the matter has been raised in the Dáil several times. This is the reality of what we are dealing with now, be it in East Wall, Stoneybatter, Cabra or the North Strand. When we are knocking at doors, the most important issue coming up all the time is access to childcare provision.

Some crèches are closing because the community providers are not so much walking away as they are closing their doors because circumstances mean they have to. Their workers who deliver incredible care and education - it is an education they are delivering - are underpaid and burned out. My colleague, Deputy Farrelly, rightly asked in the Chamber when the Government would consider pay parity for early years professionals with colleagues in education. I do not think we are anywhere close to that happening.

The Tánaiste, whom I want to take at his word, said Ireland's childcare model should be brought into the public sphere and linked more closely to education. I agree fully with that view. I am sure we all do. When will that process start? I ask because this principle is nowhere to be seen around the streets of Dublin Central. Deputy Farrelly also suggested a "páistecare" approach, this being similar to the all-party platform we had for the implementation of the Sláintecare model. In the lead up to the election, I think we all agreed we needed some form of publicly funded model of childcare provision, so why do we not all get around a table and decide how that could best happen? That would be an excellent solution and would demonstrate to the public, exasperated by this issue, that their elected representatives are doing all we can in their service. In the absence of such an approach, what we have is a two-tier system where childcare is expensive even if people are lucky enough to get it.

There are solutions to this problem. On Dublin City Council, for example, my colleagues, Cat O'Driscoll and Daniel Ennis, asked for an audit of buildings derelict around the city centre or in the possession of the council to see which of them might be suitable, with the right level of work and investment, for childcare facilities. In the absence of this being done, we really are struggling. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response. I know he is not the Minister of State tasked with special responsibility in this area, but I understand he is here in that capacity and we can have an exchange.

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