Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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51. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps he will take to improve the pay and conditions of childcare workers. [22326/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am very conscious that pay and conditions in the Childcare sector are a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. As the State is not the employer, the Deputy will appreciate that my Department does not set wage levels nor determine working conditions for staff working in the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector.

The level of staff turnover in the sector, at 23% in 2019, is unsustainably high. The most recent data (from May 2019) indicates that the average hourly wage in the sector is €12.55, which was a 3% increase on the previous year.

Increased investment in services has over a number of years aimed to support improvements in pay. Overall, investment in early learning and care and school-age childcare increased 141% over five budgets to 2020. This investment included specific measures to assist employers to improve pay and conditions such as: a 7% increase in ECCE capitation in 2018; higher capitation payments for graduates and Inclusion Coordinators; support for school-age childcare to make it easier to offer full-time, full-year employment contracts; and a pilot measure to fund participation in CPD.

In the medium-term, work that is currently under way to develop a new Funding Model and a Workforce Development Plan may provide new mechanisms by which the State can improve pay and working conditions in the sector. However, I am also keen to take further steps in the short-term that could support pay and working conditions. The Programme for Government commits to establish a Joint Labour Committee for the sector, with a view to developing an Employment Regulation Order. I have asked officials in my Department to examine this and other options that may be available.