Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

One of the main issues affecting countless families is childcare. The Dáil recognises the significant challenges many parents face in affording and finding suitable childcare. The shortage of childcare places has left many children on waiting lists. The high costs, sometimes exceeding €1,000 per month, place an immense additional financial burden on families. We must acknowledge that childcare workers are not paid enough and do not receive fair working conditions.

Independent Ireland finds areas of compatibility between the motion and our manifesto. Both highlight the unaffordable childcare costs, which sometime exceed €1,000 per month, and pledge to reduce these costs while providing early learning supports for providers. The motion notes the poor pay and conditions for early years educators. Although our manifesto does not detail this specifically, it includes commitments to support front-line workers, like teachers and healthcare staff, suggesting a general alignment with improving public sector conditions, which could be extended to early childcare providers. Additionally, the motion calls for State-led facilities and capital investment in childcare. Our manifesto supports increased funding for early childcare services, showing openness to public investment in the sector.

Parents already have enough to manage, from getting to work every day with rising fuel costs, including the recent carbon tax, to paying mortgages. Sometimes, the cost of childcare is nearly as high as the mortgage itself. The everyday cost of living combined with childcare expenses mean parents are constantly struggling to pay either their mortgage or their childcare bill. A shortage of childcare places is leading to long waiting lists. Many parents struggle to secure a place for their child, sometimes having to wait until their child is too old for early years care.

How is it that a service so crucial to most Irish people's lives is still so greatly unsupported? There has been a mass exodus of staff from the sector, with no apparent incentive for new recruits to replace those who have left. Waiting lists are so long that children on them will have outgrown the need for early years care by the time they reach the top. The demand is so great that one would be forgiven for presuming the service is free, but the eye-wateringly expensive fees per child often surpass what the average Irish person pays for a mortgage. It is a broken system in need of a complete rebuild.

High-quality childcare is crucial for cognitive development. Children in well-structured, stimulating environments tend to perform better academically and develop stronger language and cognitive skills. Conversely, limited access to quality care can hinder these developmental milestones. Children who attend high-quality early childcare are better prepared for school, both academically and socially. This readiness can lead to better long term educational outcomes.

Many providers are struggling with financial viability due to high operating costs and insufficient funding. They often find it challenging to balance quality care with affordability. The Government has proposed plans to drastically reduce childcare costs to €200 per month, which would significantly ease the financial burden on families. When will this happen or is it just another broken election promise? I have met with childcare professionals who provide this service on numerous occasions, especially during the lifetime of the previous Government. These are top-class providers, as we all know, but they have had to come up to Dublin, stand outside the Dáil in protest and beg for their very survival. They were ignored by the previous Government, month after month and year after year. These are the forgotten people, but they provide an excellent service on the ground, whether in west Cork or any other part of the country. Why did the Government put a promise in place in the run-up to the general election? It looks to me like another promise that, as of yet, has not been delivered upon. Maybe the Minister of State has something to announce today which will change that. If so, I will certainly be the first to welcome it. Some of these childcare professionals are on the verge of going out of business. Some of them are chased to within an inch of their lives with accountability, checks, governance and everything they have to do. It is almost impossible for them to keep going. The previous Government ignored them. There is no doubt about that, otherwise they would not have been up here protesting. Every one of them used to say when they came to Dublin that they did not want to be here. The parents followed them. They came here because the parents supported them and understood the crisis they were facing, but the Government ignored them for many years. I plead with the Minister of State to turn that around immediately.

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