Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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2347. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned that early years educators are having difficulty accessing mortgages due to having to sign on to jobseekers during the summer months; if she is considering any measures to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41836/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the State does not employ staff in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services, neither I nor my Department set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.

Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services are private businesses and their policies on operating hours and staffing are a matter for the service provider. As such, the decision to close a service during holiday periods, e.g. over the summer, lies with the service provider.

Social welfare entitlements fall outside the remit of my Department and are a matter for my colleagues in the Department of Social Protection. However, I understand that the Department of Social Protection operate a system where those who are employed across the various educational sectors are supported in making their application to allow a for a more efficient processing of their claim when a period of unemployment arises.