Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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380. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of ECCE-only childcare providers, that is, providers that do not offer a service outside of ECCE provision; the amount of annual funding they received; the number of childcare providers in receipt of State funding in regard to same; the amount of annual funding received; the number of providers in receipt of funding that do not provide ECCE; and the amount of annual funding received in 2019 and 2020, respectively. [34319/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The tables below set out the number of ECCE only services and the funding they received in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and the number of services not providing ECCE and the funding they received in 2018-19 and 2019-20

The numbers of ECCE only providers given is the number of providers who have entered into a funding agreement for ECCE and not for any other programmes funded by my Department, such as NCS. It is possible that some of these providers may be offering childcare in a private capacity, without funding under other subsidy programmes funded by my Department.

As the ECCE programme operates on an academic year, of September to June, the programme year.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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381. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of raising the rate of pay of early years professionals to at least the living wage of €12.30 per hour. [34326/21]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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382. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early years professionals by grade who earned below the living wage in 2020. [34327/21]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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383. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of raising the rate of pay of all early years professionals to at least €15 per hour. [34328/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 381, 382 and 383 together.

I am conscious of the need for significant improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and childcare services. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society and economy.

As the State does not employ early learning and childcare practitioners, the Deputy will appreciate that my Department cannot set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.

Based on figures available from Pobal Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2018/19, of approximately 26,000 staff working directly with children in mid-2019, it is estimated that 60% (or 15,600) were at that time paid below €12.30 per hour and 40% (or 10,400) were paid €12.30 or more.

On this basis, it was estimated that the annual cost of raising the wages of all early learning and care and school-age childcare practitioners to at least €12.30 per hour would in 2019 have been approximately €30 million. The additional cost to employers for this in terms of employer PRSI and holiday pay would have been €6m, bringing the total cost to €36m.

More recent data (from 2020) available from the Pobal Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2019/20 is still being analysed, and officials in my Department will revert directly to the Deputy with wage estimates for 2020 when the results of this analysis are available.

The Programme for Government commits to supporting the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector and the drawing up of an Employment Regulation Order. In December 2020, I began a process to examine the possibility of regulating the pay and conditions of employment of practitioners in early learning and care and school-age childcare, and to examine the suitability of establishing a JLC.

The Labour Court published its Draft Establishment Order for a Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services on 27th April, for the purpose of public consultation. As part of this consultation process, the Labour Court held a public hearing on 28th May. On 21st June the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail signed the Establishment Order for the JLC, which will take effect on 1st July.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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384. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028; the efforts he is making to ensure childminders including representatives from an organisation (details supplied) are involved in every stage of the process impacting the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34433/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department developed a National Action Plan for Childminding which was published in April 2021. The Action Plan aims to improve access, through childminding, to high quality and affordable childcare. The Action Plan sets out a pathway over the next 8 years towards regulation, support and subsidies for all paid, non-relative childminders. The Action Plan will involve change and will bring significant benefits for childminders, and for the children and the families using their services.

A National Action Plan for Childminding Steering Group will be established shortly, to drive, oversee and monitor implementation of the National Action Plan.The Steering Group will be supported by four Advisory Groups in relation to: regulation and inspection; training and support; funding and financial supports; and consultation and communications.

The National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders, parents and other key stakeholders on the Steering Group, which will be chaired by my Department. Additionally the National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders on all four Advisory Groups.

Initial work on some aspects of future training for childminders began prior to launch of the National Action Plan, in the context of on-going work on developing a Workforce Development Plan for early learning and care and school-age childcare. In order to draft proposals, a working group was established specifically on childminding. The working group has strong representation of childminding views. Of its 12 members, six are childminders or work exclusively with or for childminders, while other members represent the views of parents, the statutory regulator (Tusla) and organisations which have provided extensive support for childminders. All decisions on the design and implementation of training programmes for childminders will be made by the Steering Group of the National Action Plan for Childminding.

The National Action Plan itself was based on extensive consultation and engagement with childminders, and the blueprint for the National Action Plan was the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector, which was coordinated and chaired by Childminding Ireland. The National Action Plan commits to further consultation with childminders, especially during Phase 1 of the Plan when developing regulations specific to childminders.

Officials in my Department have been engaging with the organisation in question on their specific concerns. While discussions are ongoing, I am hopeful that all relevant organisations that have a significant role in representing or supporting childminders will be actively involved in the oversight and advisory structures for the National Action Plan.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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385. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if leeway will be shown to smaller childcare providers that provide childcare out of residential properties that are struggling to meet the fire safety regulations that are due to be in place in November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34462/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am assuming that this question is referring to the supporting documentation required as part of the re-registration process for early years services by the Early Years Inspectorate of Tusla, the independent and statutory regulator of this sector. Services were required to provide Fire Safety Certificates as part of the re-registration process which was due to take place at the end of 2019. Many services have already re-registered and submitted a Fire Safety Certificate and some have re-registered subject to submitting an up to date Fire Safety Certificate.

In August 2019, Tusla issued guidance for registered providers of early years services on the fire and planning requirements for the re-registration process. It is important to note that these were not new regulations, but guidance on the submission of documentation for the purpose of re-registration. Registration of early years services is granted only where Tusla is satisfied that the premises, operation and location of the service poses no unmanaged risk to children. All registered services are expected to have the appropriate fire certification in place.

In an effort to assist providers in meeting the re-registration deadline, Tusla divided the process into two parts. The first part, including submission of an application form and critical supporting documentation, was completed at the end of 2019 and the deadline for the second part (submission of remaining documents) postponed until June 2020. Due to the unprecedented situation with Covid–19, a decision was taken to further defer the deadline for submission of remaining supporting documentation to 1 November 2021.

It is important to note that the suitability and safety of premises is a key concern in the assessment of quality provision for children in early years services. Section 58G of the Child Care Act, 1991 (as amended by Part 12 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013) places an onus on the providers of early years services to ensure that they take all reasonable measures to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of children.

Given the absolute priority to keep children safe in these services and to assist services in meeting these regulations, I have allocated funding under my Department's Annual Capital Programme 2021 for services to complete any outstanding fire safety works needed to obtain a Fire Safety Certificate. A total of €5 million has been allocated across 643 services to carry out remedial works to ensure these services will be fully compliant with fire safety standards as set out in Tulsa's registration requirements.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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386. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has engaged with an organisation (details supplied) or childminders who work in private homes to ensure their experiences are reflected in the National Action Plan for Childminding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34738/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The National Action Plan for Childminding, which was published in April 2021, aims to improve access, through childminding, to high quality and affordable childcare. The Action Plan sets out a pathway over the next 8 years towards regulation, support and subsidies for all paid, non-relative childminders. The Action Plan will involve change and will bring significant benefits for childminders, and for the children and the families using their services.

A National Action Plan for Childminding Steering Group will be established shortly, to drive, oversee and monitor implementation of the National Action Plan. The Steering Group will be supported by four Advisory Groups in relation to: regulation and inspection; training and support; funding and financial supports; and consultation and communications.

The National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders, parents and other key stakeholders on the Steering Group, which will be chaired by my Department. Additionally the National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders on all four Advisory Groups.

Initial work on some aspects of future training for childminders began prior to launch of the National Action Plan, in the context of on-going work on developing a Workforce Development Plan for early learning and care and school-age childcare. In order to draft proposals, a working group was established specifically on childminding. The working group has strong representation of childminding views. Of its 12 members, six are childminders or work exclusively with or for childminders, while other members represent the views of parents, the statutory regulator (Tusla) and organisations which have provided extensive support for childminders. All decisions on the design and implementation of training programmes for childminders will be made by the Steering Group of the National Action Plan for Childminding.

The National Action Plan itself was based on extensive consultation and engagement with childminders, and the blueprint for the National Action Plan was the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector, which was coordinated and chaired by Childminding Ireland. The National Action Plan commits to further consultation with childminders, especially during Phase 1 of the Plan when developing regulations specific to childminders.

Officials in my Department have been engaging with the organisation in question on their specific concerns. While discussions are ongoing, I am hopeful that all relevant organisations that have a significant role in representing or supporting childminders will be actively involved in the oversight and advisory structures for the National Action Plan.