Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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160. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will urgently address the ongoing disparity in pay, entitlements, and working conditions between early childhood educators and primary school teachers; the timeline for implementing full pay parity and professional recognition for early years educators, particularly those with level eight qualifications working in Montessori and early years settings who continue to earn as little as €15 per hour with no benefits; if the graduate premium under core funding is being fully implemented across all eligible services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50744/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Pay is one of a number of issues impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.

As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor the Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.

The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders.

I acknowledge the Joint Labour Committee is independent in its functions, and I do not have a role in its statutory negotiation processes. However, outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding, which in the programme year 2025/26 will increase by 6% to €350 million. An additional €45 million has been ringfenced to support employers meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay and is contingent on updated Employment Regulation Orders.

Through the Joint Labour Committee process, Employment Regulation Orders have been signed into law in September 2022 and June 2024 to progressively increase average wage rates in the sector for staff at different grades by approximately 13%.

I have been informed, the Joint Labour Committee, after public consultation, have agreed on proposed increases in minimum rates of pay and have sent the proposals to the Labour Court for adoption in line with the requirements of the Industrial Relations Act 1946. If adopted and established as Employment Regulation Orders these proposals are another welcome step in the process of improving pay in the sector and may see minimum hourly rates of pay for graduate lead educators increase to €17.50.

Core Funding also incorporates specific funding to support the cost of graduates in the sector via Graduate Premiums.

At the end of the recently concluded 2024/25 programme year almost 3,000 services were receiving Graduate Premiums – with no indication that eligible services are not attracting graduate premiums.

The improvement of pay and conditions is a key enabler for the implementation of ‘Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare 2022 – 2028’, which sets out a strategic framework for professional development, career progression, and workforce sustainability for the sector.