Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I ask for a debate in this House to allow the Minister for children to set out what he is doing regarding the expansion of early years places and what he is doing to look after the viability of existing services. Over the past three years, I and other colleagues have repeatedly highlighted in this House the dire shortage of early years places in this country, not only for those aged under one, but also for those aged between one and three. There are similar issues with preschool places. Even in Dublin's north inner city, one in four children cannot access a preschool place. We pleaded for the Minister to fund the establishment of new services. I am really glad to see that the Department has finally got around to publishing its plan. It has finally changed its tune. Where previously we were told there was no issue with supply, it has now belatedly acknowledged that there are shortages.

When I consider the €45 million building blocks programme the Minister announced before Christmas and has given more detail over recent weeks, we have to ask whom it is designed for. When I look at the detail, I see it is for expanding capacity through internal renovations and large-scale extensions to existing premises. Those are very specific commitments. I do not see any mention of the purchase or construction of new buildings. For whom is this scheme intended? What size of expansion of places is envisaged? I am really worried that the Department does not understand the shortage of early years spaces in many parts of Dublin or in many other urban centres where realistically many of those early years facilities, crèches and preschools do not have capacity to expand. We need the purchase or development of new buildings. Only new crèches on greenfield sites have that space to expand.The context for these questions is the double whammy of an existing shortage in early years places in the main urban areas, as well as in rural areas, but also the potential closure of many preschools and small settings that is coming down the tracks in the next ten years. Women in particular who are in their 40s and going into their 50s and have been running preschools and early years places in recent years are now looking at their existing working conditions and wondering whether it is worth continuing. I have spent recent months speaking to ECCE providers. They are fed up because they have not seen a pay increase since 2010 and now face increasing pressures with regard to the change to the accounting year and the need to have certified accountants submit their accounts. There is no flexibility as to what they can charge and they are coming to an age when their kids are grown up. They are doing this for the love of the service rather than because they are making money, and they are wondering for how many more years they will keep going. We have to ask whether we value small settings. Do we want those small settings to continue within communities? Crucially, the current system rewards capacity. That plays into the hands of the much bigger operations and chains. We need to hear from the Minister as to who exactly he wants operating early years services. To my mind, it needs to be a mix. It needs to be those very small operations as well as the bigger operations. The design of the current schemes, however, rewards capacity and that will push those smaller places out of business.