Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is a fair point. I thank the Minister of State for the reply. This is the first time I have been given a reply that makes a positive mention of a sectoral employment order, which I welcome. I hope there is the political will to make that happen, because it is not good enough simply to say that it is up to the employers. The Department has a positive role to play in making it happen. It has happened in other sectors such as cleaning and security and with political will it can happen in this one.

The Minister, Deputy Zappone, inherited a model of child care that I do not believe she would have designed. Does the Minister of State believe that the current model, based on precarious work and low pay, is sustainable? If it is not, and I do not believe it is, are the Minister and the Department prepared to work with key stakeholders, such as Early Childhood Ireland and SIPTU, to develop a new model?