Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to welcome Deputy Cathal Crowe and the students of the Killaloe Boys National School, who are finishing sixth class tomorrow and moving on to big school. I also welcome their teachers, Mary, Frances and Cathal. I hope they enjoy the day. No doubt, Deputy Crowe will look after our guests. I hope the students get plenty of treats and a few ice creams.

Today I wish to raise the issue of the childcare sector. As many other Members did, I had the opportunity to meet with childcare providers yesterday. Having done so, I share their significant concerns over the sustainability of the sector. As we are aware, it is a sector that families across the country rely on and one that is responsible for a significant part of how many of our children develop in their early years, which we know, from extensive research, is incredibly important.

We must address the concerns of childcare providers, strengthen the sector and engage with the problems. If we do not do so, we run the very real risk of a large number of services closing. Should those closures happen, they will not be easily reversed. I urge the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to examine the statements of childcare providers, review the core funding and take action as a matter of urgency. While yesterday's protest was mainly about core funding, having spoken to providers and staff here in Leinster House, I am aware that there is also a wider range of issues that we must address in the short term to effectively guarantee the sustainability of the sector.

A large number of staff employed within the childcare sector are on part-time or 38-week contracts. They have no option but to sign on the live register for the summer months. Having spoken with people, I know that it is incredibly demoralising and damaging from a financial perspective to be in that situation, given that they do such significant work. Many of the people working in the sector have got level 7 qualifications and are dedicated to working in the sector because they love the work. Obviously, they do not go into the sector expecting to get rich, but nor should they have to sign on the exchange for 14 weeks over the summer months.

As I have noted, those working in the sector are essentially looking after hundreds of thousands of children across the country. We must ensure that staff operating in the sector are respected and valued. Otherwise, the great people working in childcare will inevitably go to another sector that treats them better.It should be noted also that this Government has begun to address the sector in a more comprehensive manner, with the establishment of a joint labour committee, and it has invested in core funding for the first time in budget 2022. However, it is clear that the enhanced investment that is required in budget 2023 must address this, and in advance of the budget we must ensure the sector is sufficiently funded to make it sustainable in the short term. I urge the Leader of the House, Senator Doherty, to request that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, would attend this House and debate and prioritise this matter.