Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)

According to a recent survey, 80% of childminders are considering leaving the sector ahead of the draft regulations coming into place. This would cause a total collapse of childcare services. Parents are already at their wits' end trying to find a crèche or playschool place for their children. Childminders provide a fantastic and much-needed service in their communities and yet the Government seems set on over-regulating them out of the sector. If home-based providers disappear, where are those children to go? What alternative is the Government providing? The draft regulation is invasive and includes measures such as publishing the home addresses of childminders and assessing their homes for commercial rates. I do not agree with that at all. The Government and the Minister for children have failed to engage with the childminding sector, yet when people come up with their own creative solutions to the childcare crisis, the Government waltzes in and sets regulations that will force the majority of them out of the sector. I want to see the Government put real, genuine value on caregiving. Whether they are mothers at home, childminders or family members, these are the people holding society together and they are constantly overlooked. We want a tax credit for families whose children are cared for by childminders or relatives to equalise support with what crèches and playschools receive through State subsidies. Home-based childminders should be exempt from commercial rates. Any regulation needs to be drafted with the input and support of childminders. I ask the Department and Minister to stop ignoring the sector before it collapses completely. I ask for statements in the House on this matter.