Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

condemns: - Budget 2026, which breaks the pre-election promises of the Government parties to deliver childcare to parents for €200 a month; acknowledges: - the high costs of childcare that continue to exist with some parents paying over €1,000 per month;

- that access to high quality early learning and care is fundamental to children’s wellbeing and development;

- the vital role played by Early Years Educators in delivering quality care and learning experiences;

- that quality provision depends on a skilled, supported, and fairly remunerated workforce;

- the challenges that exist in the Early Years Sector, including for parents trying to afford and access childcare places and for educators when it comes to pay and terms and conditions;

- the thousands of children on waiting lists for childcare places;

- the serious deficiencies in capacity in our childcare sector;

- the Early Years Educators who have been underpaid and undervalued by successive Governments; calls on Government to reconsider its Budget 2026 provisions and make the investment necessary to: - deliver childcare to parents for €10 per day;

- ensure improved terms and conditions for childcare staff to address the retention and recruitment crisis and expand the capacity of the sector.