Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter and the Cathaoirleach for choosing it. In the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, we stated we would support the establishment of a joint labour committee, JLC, in the childcare sector and the drawing up of an employment regulation order, ERO, which would determine minimum rates of pay for childcare workers, as well as their terms and conditions of employment. This subject has been particularly close to my heart.I lobbied hard for this to be in the programme for Government because I have represented the childcare sector. I have worked with childcare providers during the past ten years prior to becoming a Member of the Seanad and seen first-hand the difficulties they experience in retaining and recruiting staff from the point of view that, in many cases, highly qualified women with experience working in child care could not work in the sector because the cost of living was such that they lost too much by being in full-time employment in the sector and the rates of pay were not sufficient, and that was prior to more recent escalation in the cost of living

I want to say a big "Thank you" to those involved in the Big Start campaign. They talked about pay and conditions in childcare. For example, 66% of early years educators earn less than the living wage and 42% of managers stated they earned less than €15 per hour. These are the group of people who care for our children, who enable predominantly women to access the workforce and who are dedicated professionals in the creation of care of our children. It is important they have a career in this sector and that money is red-circled for this sector to support childcare providers in meeting whatever pay and terms and conditions can be put in place by an ERO. As a Government, we have red-circled money in the budget for later this year. I am anxious we achieve a timeline on that, that the momentum continues and that by September this year we are in a place where we can be sure the people who are recruited into childcare will stay in the industry, will be able to build careers and grow in the industry, and will be encouraged to pursue higher level education in order that we have that level of expertise for children prior to their going to school.

I am anxious that we would know we have a constant momentum with respect to this sector. At what time will we have a report and be in a position where we have an ERO that will apply to this industry?

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for business, employment and retail, Deputy English, who sends his apologies for not being able to be here. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. Everybody knows she is s a very strong advocate for this sector and has worked tirelessly in this area. This debate gives us an opportunity to reaffirm to those working in early learning and childcare services the recognition they deserve for the very important work they do and the benefits their work brings for children, families and society. The programme for Government makes extensive commitments to improve access and quality of childcare, and, crucially, we have begun work delivering on those commitments.

In recognition of the importance of this sector and the Government’s commitment to ensuring high-quality, affordable and accessible services, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth,, Deputy O’Gorman, announced major reform of funding for early learning and childcare following the report of an expert group last year. Budget 2022 committed to a transformative and groundbreaking package of measures to begin to implement the vision set out in the report. Some €78 million is being made available to enable this in 2022, including €69 million for a core funding stream, equivalent to €207 million in a full year. Furthermore, throughout the pandemic, substantial State supports, including the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, and other sectoral specific supports such as the reopening funding package for childcare services have been provided to the sector, which have enabled services to operate safely and ensured the increased costs associated with public health requirements and with lower demand were not passed on to parents.

However, on the topic for discussion today, I would like to clarify the Minister of State, Deputy English’s, role regarding the ERO for childcare. As the Senator will be aware, in line with his statutory obligations as set out in the Industrial Relations Act, he approved a recommendation of the Labour Court to establish a joint labour committee, JLC, for the early learning care and school age childcare sector in June 2021.However, policy responsibility for this sector sits outside his remit and is a matter for my colleague, Deputy O’Gorman, as the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I understand that the joint labour committee, JLC, for the early learning care and school age childcare sector, which is independently chaired, has met on a number of occasions to date and is progressing its work.

Proposals for an employment regulation order are formulated in the first instance by a JLC where it is satisfied that such proposals would promote harmonious relations between workers and employers. The Labour Court then considers whether or not to adopt the proposals of a JLC. If the Labour Court is satisfied that the proposals are in a suitable form for adoption, the Labour Court adopts the proposals and submits the issue to the Minister of State with responsibility for business, employment and retail. If the Minister of State is satisfied that the relevant legislative requirements have been met and it is appropriate to make an order, he will give effect to the proposals through the making of an employment regulation order. I am informed that the Minister of State, Deputy English, has not yet received any proposals from the Labour Court regarding an employment regulation order for the early learning care and school age childcare sector.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I appreciate that we are still in February and there is still much time. My request is that the Minister of State is poised and ready to respond as soon as he receives that report, so that it can be implemented urgently. Many contracts in this area run on a fixed-term basis. It would be lovely to issue long-term contracts from September this year and for them to be at the new rates, which are appropriate for the retention of staff in this area. This area is predominantly staffed by women. The high cost of living has seen a loss of staff from this sector. There is consequently a knock-on effect on the sustainability of services and the ability of parents who rely on those services to get back into the workplace as we return to a more normal, though hopefully hybrid, society. I urge that we be ready for that report whenever it comes in. If it is listening, the Labour Court should urgently move to ensure that we have this report as quickly as possible.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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As the Senator knows, the establishment of the JLC for the sector is fulfilling a programme for Government commitment. It is a significant and welcome development. It is an independent process and I encourage bodies representing both employers and employees to engage with the JLC process because it can yield significant positive benefits for both parties.

An agreement on a new set of terms and conditions for employment will help to maintain and grow the talented pool of people working in the sector, as well as providing security and opportunity for career development in the early learning care and school age childcare sector, as the Senator alluded to. I have no doubt that when a recommendation comes before our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy English, he will not be found wanting. The Government is committed. We have proven through our actions and support for the sector in the last years that we want to support it, since it is crucial for our economy and society.