Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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962. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated full year cost of increasing pay for childcare staff by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%, respectively. [44912/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I firmly believe the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.

The State is not the employer and therefore does not set the pay or conditions for employees in either early learning and care (ELC) or school-age childcare (SAC) services.

However, there is now, through the Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates for ELC and SAC services, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders (EROs). This is an independent process from the Department and neither I, nor my officials, have any role in the proceedings of the JLC and any associated negotiated minimum pay rates, the cost of which is borne by the employer.

Outcomes of the JLC negotiations are supported via the Governments Core Funding scheme. Among other objectives, Core Funding supports the ability of service providers to meet the additional costs resulting from the EROs for Early Years Services, as it provides increases in funding to early learning and childcare service providers to support improvements in staff wages, alongside a commitment to freeze parental fees.

On the basis of 2024 data supplied by Partner Services taking part in the Core Funding scheme, the estimated annual costs to employers of raising all the minimum pay rates specified in the EROs (for different grades and qualification levels) by the rates proposed in the question (making assumptions specified below in relation to equivalent increases for other roles specified in the EROs) are set out in the table:

In relation to the estimates above, the following should be noted:

* The cost estimates are based on staff who had an hourly wage recorded in service providers’ submissions for Core Funding, but the Core Funding data has been extrapolated to provide an estimate for all staff working in the sector.

* Cost estimates are based on the most recent data available to the Department which was provided by service providers in May 2024, this data was provided prior to the new EROs for Early Years Services came into force on June 24th.

* Calculations are there based on minimum rates of pat set out in the initial ERO which came into effect in June 2024.

* The estimated costs are for the additional cost to employers of bringing staff, from their current wage or the minimum pay rates set out in the first EROs, whichever is higher, up to the new pay rate as listed in the request. E.g., for an early year’s educator, costs are estimated based on current rate of pay up to 5% above the current ERO rate for that role (ERO minimum rate for Educators 13.65+ increased listed of 5% = increase of 68c).

* Calculations are based on wage-data available at a point in time. Some services may have increased wages more recently, which would reduce the cost to services of moving from current wage-rates to the proposed wage rates in the question.

* The cost estimates only relate to staff and managers covered by the current EROs, i.e., the estimates exclude the cost of ancillary staff.

* The cost estimates do not attempt to account for the potential cost implications for the wages of staff who are currently earning more than the increased rates above current ERO minimum rates.

* It should be noted that the figures in the table are the additional cost to employers, rather than the additional costs to the State. Core Funding offers a contribution to staff costs. The €313m allocated for Core Funding may already support some employers to pay wage rates above ERO minimum rates.

* The figures in the table do not take into account the income currently received by those working in the sector who are self-employed and who derive their income from profits rather than wages.