Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter and the Cathaoirleach for choosing it. In the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, we stated we would support the establishment of a joint labour committee, JLC, in the childcare sector and the drawing up of an employment regulation order, ERO, which would determine minimum rates of pay for childcare workers, as well as their terms and conditions of employment. This subject has been particularly close to my heart.I lobbied hard for this to be in the programme for Government because I have represented the childcare sector. I have worked with childcare providers during the past ten years prior to becoming a Member of the Seanad and seen first-hand the difficulties they experience in retaining and recruiting staff from the point of view that, in many cases, highly qualified women with experience working in child care could not work in the sector because the cost of living was such that they lost too much by being in full-time employment in the sector and the rates of pay were not sufficient, and that was prior to more recent escalation in the cost of living

I want to say a big "Thank you" to those involved in the Big Start campaign. They talked about pay and conditions in childcare. For example, 66% of early years educators earn less than the living wage and 42% of managers stated they earned less than €15 per hour. These are the group of people who care for our children, who enable predominantly women to access the workforce and who are dedicated professionals in the creation of care of our children. It is important they have a career in this sector and that money is red-circled for this sector to support childcare providers in meeting whatever pay and terms and conditions can be put in place by an ERO. As a Government, we have red-circled money in the budget for later this year. I am anxious we achieve a timeline on that, that the momentum continues and that by September this year we are in a place where we can be sure the people who are recruited into childcare will stay in the industry, will be able to build careers and grow in the industry, and will be encouraged to pursue higher level education in order that we have that level of expertise for children prior to their going to school.

I am anxious that we would know we have a constant momentum with respect to this sector. At what time will we have a report and be in a position where we have an ERO that will apply to this industry?