Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. After all the interventions we have heard here this afternoon, we can say the situation for childcare and for families is really bleak. I have spoken to women who had to put their child's name on the waiting list when they were four months pregnant. I have spoken to a plethora of women my own age who are delaying having their first child or subsequent children because they are so worried about the costs. The sky-rocketing costs reflect the fact the system is failing families.

The Social Democrats have been advocating for a comprehensive policy and public model of early childhood education and care to alleviate the strain on the crumbling childcare system. We need a national childcare agency to ensure quality care for all children, affordability for parents and, most important, as has been discussed at length today, proper pay and conditions for childcare workers. We really cannot have a functioning childcare system if we are not reflecting the value of the work that is being done. I have met childcare workers, as have all of us here today, who work very hard caring for our children but whose pay and conditions do not reflect what they are doing. We heard from Senator Nelson Murray about some people leaving the sector to work in Aldi or Lidl, where they are paid more per hour. These people are very well qualified. They have gone through many levels of qualification. It is such a critical role, and the fact the staff turnover is so high is a direct consequence of the pay and conditions. The Irish Times reported this week that 24.5% of staff are leaving the sector every year.

Establishing a public childcare sector would provide consistency to families and workers. It would address the huge waiting lists, enable price caps, which the Minister discussed, and provide better conditions for childcare workers. It is the only way to achieve an equitable system where no family or worker is left behind.

As Senator Ní Chuilinn pointed out, this is really a gender equality issue. Many women are prevented from returning to work, or if they do, they will have been five or six years out of work and are coming back on lower wages. If we look at this through the lens of gender equality, that will be a good framework for how we go about changing it. It is not okay that women are having to make decisions about whether to have children because they are worried about the costs of childcare. It is very scary for many young women in Ireland that their family planning decisions are being made because of this crisis.