Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

I thank Deputy Kerrane for tabling this motion and the Minister, Deputy Foley, for her own response.

In my time as Minister, I was privileged to meet many childcare professionals and see the skill and dedication they bring to their role. I was pleased to hear the Minister, Deputy Foley, talk about childcare professionals in her contribution, and particularly pleased to hear her talk about the issue of their pay. Due to the value my colleagues in the Green Party and I place on our early years professionals, I was able to secure funding in budget 2025 to support a new pay agreement for staff, with €45 million across the full year. We all recognise that €45 million is not enough but it is a step in showing the value the State places on the women and men who educate and care for our children every single day. Not one cent of that €45 million will be paid out, however, without an employment regulation order, which is currently being negotiated. Does the Minister of State agree with me that it is essential that the joint labour committee recognise the impact that low pay has on childcare professionals and agree that the highest possible hourly rate using that additional funding of €45 million, and any remaining funding from previous core funding allocations, should be achieved?

I listened carefully to the Minister's speech, particularly what was said on the issue of the public model.

I was critical of what is included in the programme for Government on this issue. It lacked any degree of ambition. When I asked the Taoiseach directly about the commitment on the public model on 26 February, he gave me an extremely non-committal answer and spoke about resources, costs and the usual issues. The Minister of State understands how difficult it is to make anything happen in government. You have to fight, be that with your officials, within your party, with coalition partners or with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. You also have to bring the sector along. In the area of childcare, many of those fights have already taken place. Significant reforms have been achieved. There is momentum, which is leading in one direction, that is, to a public model.

The Minister, Deputy Foley, referred to the action plan and linked it to State provision. While the programme for Government commitment is weak, right now it is all we have. We need more specifics from the Government tonight. When is the action plan expected to be concluded? When will it be published? Will it be part of the Department’s budget submission over the summer? Will we hear the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, speak about allocating funding towards the public model when the budget is announced in October 2025?

Childcare needs a champion in Government now more than ever. I ask the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Foley, not to let the chance slip away when so much momentum has built up. I ask them to ensure we see public childcare filling those areas of low capacity throughout the country and delivered in this Government term.

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