Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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122. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the efforts being made to urgently address the crisis within the childcare system, with many childcare facilities unable to attract and retain staff; whether childcare facilities struggling to retain staff and at risk of closure can receive additional funding to improve the staff pay and conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7078/25]

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Ar an gcéad dul síos, I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his elevation to office and I wish him well. I also wish an dá Aire well in their new roles. I really want to ask the Minister the steps she is taking to deal with the lack of disability services in south Tipperary, the number of vacancies in CDNTs 4 and 5, the number of children waiting for occupational and speech therapy and psychological services within the CDNTs and whether those waiting for services can access services privately and then be reimbursed. I hope to get some good news. This system is badly broken.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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That is not Question No. 122. Is that an additional question?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Question No. 122 was specifically around childcare facilities' ability to attract and retain staff.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Is that the one the Minister is addressing?

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I apologise. I had two questions. I will introduce the first one again. The question is on childcare. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua was set up fadó fadó and we have a huge problem retaining staff. The whole early years sector is bursting at the seams with children but staff are moving on. Progression is a good thing but we cannot get replacements. It is a huge issue the Ministers might address.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that many early learning and care and school-age childcare services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, these staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover. The most recent published data from the annual early years sector profile survey shows staff turnover for the sector is at 24.5%, however it is estimated that approximately one third of staff leaving services are doing so to move to another service. Notwithstanding this, the data from that survey also shows that the workforce in the sector continues to grow, increasing by 8% over a 12-month period.

Pay is one of a number of issues impacting these staffing levels. As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions. There is, however, a formal mechanism established in the independent early years services joint labour committee, where employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment, including minimum pay rates for different roles in the sector. Outcomes from the joint labour committee process are supported by the Government through the core funding scheme. The allocation for the 2024-2025 year of core funding is €331 million. It is an unprecedented level of State intervention.

In budget 2025, an additional €15 million was secured specifically to support employers meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay. This allocation, which is conditional on updated employment regulation orders being negotiated by the joint labour committee, translates into an additional €45 million for the programme year 2025-2026. That is specifically dedicated to pay in the sector.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Certainly, we need the voluntary sector here. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua is a voluntary crèche. I salute the current board there, who work tirelessly, and Helen Nic Craith, who set it up. It was her dream. We need to support those people because these are voluntary boards. We should not remove them or stifle them with bureaucracy. It is the same with the section 39 workers. It is fine for the Minister to say she has no responsibility for their wages. They need to be properly resourced and funded. Early years are so vital for the children. This is rud iontach ar fad, daoine óga ag foghlaim Gaeilge. It is through fun and sport. All my children, or most of them, went to it. It is bursting at the seams. Staff might go to other services but they go into different areas as well. They are well-qualified and it is hard to retain them, especially when the funding is not put in to support these voluntary groups. There are thousands of them around the country. We should not kill off the spirit of enthusiasm and entrepreneurship among volunteers who get nothing out of it only love of community and education. It is a pity. We need to support them whatever way we can.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I want to be very clear about State intervention here. At the outset, I want to acknowledge the excellent work of those who provide the voluntary services the Deputy referenced in his constituency and throughout the country. I wan to be very clear about State intervention here. Over the last three years, just short of €900 million has been provided through core funding by the State. It is unprecedented; it was never done before. It is an unparalleled resource of funding going into these services. This past year alone, it is at a level of €331 million, as I said. In addition to that, there are other interventions by the State, such as the building blocks extension programme, with €25 million available to providers where they can apply to provide for extensions or whatever.

As I already referenced, a specific €45 million additional was provided to support employers meet the cost of wage increases. Again, it is an unprecedented intervention by the State. In total, into the sector the Deputy referenced, €1.37 billion is being invested, which was never before done by the State. It is quite staggering.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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It sounds great. As Gaeilge, it would probably even sound better. I salute the staff, management and teams that are there. However, the regulations are huge. For the baby room and the early years, the staff ratios are huge. In national school, you can have one teacher to 32 children. It is not a level playing field. I acknowledge there is unprecedented funding.

It is trickling down to the likes of Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua and Naíonra Chathair Dhún Iascaigh and to English-language playschools and childcare facilities, which make up the majority of them. Obair stairiúil atá á déanamh ag gach ceann acu but they need the supports. They are voluntary boards and they should not be labelled with these issues and lectured to that they are not paying this wage and that wage. They are doing their level best and they are giving excellent tuition and excellent grounding to these daoine óige, from the cradle, literally, and they need to be supported. It is fine to quote figures but the reality on the ground and realpolitik are a different story.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Ar an gcéad dul síos chun an fhírinne a rá, cé acu as Béarla nó as Gaeilge, ní féidir a shéanadh go bhfuil an-dul chun cinn déanta ag an Stát chun gach tacaíocht a thabhairt don earnáil seo. Tá na figiúirí agam arís. Lean ar aghaidh liom anois. The flat rate for services registered on the Tusla early years register of sessional only, which is a preschool service offering a programme for a total of not more than three and a half hours, increased from €4,075 to €5,000. This will strengthen support for sessional-only services, which typically operate for shorter hours per week and fewer weeks per year. The minimum base-rate allocation increased from €8,150 to €14,000. This is the minimum amount of funding a centre-based service will receive through the base rate and ensures a minimum guaranteed income for services. The maximum base-rate allocation decreased from €600,000 to €500,000. I absolutely understand where the Deputy's heart is because the provision of these services is so integral to the life cycle within the community. He should be under no illusion; we are absolutely committed. We are doing it by making the money available and making the provision available. We will do all that is needed in future. I absolutely accept his bona fides.