Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. She has shown a genuine commitment and dedication to transforming child care, and a vision of how it should and might be done. I commend her on staying consistently with this issue and for pushing it forward in recent years. I acknowledge the importance of the first year introduced by Fianna Fáil which laid the groundwork for how we might proceed.

I recognise the increase in this budget. We are, however, coming from a phenomenally low base. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, reports produced recently show that the Irish expenditure on early years education is 0.1% of gross domestic product, GDP. Others produce figures that put it at 0.3%. These figures are far below the OECD average of 0.8% and the recommended level of 1%. I urge the Minister to increase and maintain her ambition and the message that this area needs huge investment must go to all members of Cabinet. I believe we should do as the Scots have done. They have sought to catch up with and emulate the Scandinavian model from a low base by treating it as an issue of vital national infrastructure. That is what a child care system that is adequate and serves its purpose is, vital national infrastructure. If we are going to meet targets or reach those averages we will have to see a doubling of ambition next year and beyond. I know the Minister will push for that but what timeline does she see over the next five years for us to reach those OECD averages? Some estimates put this at €125 million each year over the next five years. That is a reasonable and appropriate investment. There are some tax cut measures and tax reliefs but a greater gift to families would have been to introduce an adequate service in the area of child care rather than give them short-term cash in hand through tax cuts.

The burning issue is that if we want quality in early years education and child care, we need quality terms and conditions for staff as part of that agenda. I recognise, as others have done, that representatives of SIPTU are in the Gallery. The Big Start programme it has worked on with Barnardos, the Children's Rights Alliance, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, the Union of Students and many others has been a co-ordinated call from society for standards in this area. The IMPACT trade union has also been working in this area as has the Association of Childhood Professionals. There is a very strong demand from people who know what is involved, what quality is needed and who recognise the danger of the 28% drop out rate. We do not want the situation that we see in nursing to arise. Young nurses are poached and move to other countries. We are losing people not only because their pay is inadequate, but also because they do not see a pathway to progression in the sector. That is why the introduction of proper pay scales that give people confidence that they can grow and evolve in this area are vital. I echo the calls for a sectoral employment order. That is the way to introduce quality. This is how we set standards. It is fine to introduce incentives and I would like to recognise the higher capitation level, for example, staff who may have certain qualifications. That is positive but it is not enough. We need to have a baseline and that is what a sectoral employment order can provide. Can the Minister tell us where she thinks that debate is, and where and how it will move forward, so that we can ensure we build a system to last?

I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection and I am very aware that, while we hear about "two full years", they are not really full years. They are 38 weeks and there is a significant gap for many people working in this area. While payment has increased for non-contact time and programme support, there is no guarantee and no measures to show that is necessarily going into more secure or year long contracts for staff. When staff regularly have a break of two or three months, they are left in the precarious position of going back onto social welfare payments. They do not build up the four years which in another sector would give them some security within an organisation. It is a regular break and they start from scratch which creates insecurity.

Has the Minister been engaging with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, who I am sure is concerned about this issue, about the gap between the 15 hour contracts and the fact that family income supplement arrives only at 19 hours? For those working in the sector, there is a gap between the 15 hour contract they have and the 19 hours they need to be working if they are to be able to access family income supplement. That is a real concern for those working in the sector and for those relying on child care to allow them go out to work. Those four hours have an impact greater than four hours. It gives those using the service an option. They know that if they work the 19 hours in a supermarket, they will be able to get the family income supplement. If they stay working in child care, even if they are passionate about it, they are vulnerable because in many cases they do not get hours outside the standard provision of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme.

The roll out of the single affordable child care scheme has been delayed. I would like to see it move forward faster. Concerns have been expressed about the parental contribution and how that will definitely be reined in for those who had been on child care employment and training support, CETS, schemes and community employment child care, CEC, schemes, particularly lone parents, who used these schemes as part of their access to training or education.The Minister recognises this concern having worked previously on the issue of lone parents. How will she ensure people do not fall through the cracks when some schemes end and the new scheme is rolled out?

Child care will be a fundamental part of the wider recognition of care. Does the Minister view this as part of a better recognition of care across all parts of society? We spoke, for example, about the removal of women in the home as a measure. Will care be given recognition? Will the Minister support the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she seeks to address the gaps in the pension system? The recognition of care is a wider issue.

To add to Senator Richmond's comments, will the national planning framework be used to ensure we plan for a much more ambitious child care system and integrate this in how we plan and build communities?