Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that we are still in February and there is still much time. My request is that the Minister of State is poised and ready to respond as soon as he receives that report, so that it can be implemented urgently. Many contracts in this area run on a fixed-term basis. It would be lovely to issue long-term contracts from September this year and for them to be at the new rates, which are appropriate for the retention of staff in this area. This area is predominantly staffed by women. The high cost of living has seen a loss of staff from this sector. There is consequently a knock-on effect on the sustainability of services and the ability of parents who rely on those services to get back into the workplace as we return to a more normal, though hopefully hybrid, society. I urge that we be ready for that report whenever it comes in. If it is listening, the Labour Court should urgently move to ensure that we have this report as quickly as possible.