Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 April 2021
111. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position regarding AIM funding and the ongoing low pay for childcare staff on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20917/21]
View answerI am very conscious of the need for significant improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) 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. It also contributes to challenges in recruitment and retention of staff, which are key to the consistency of care provided to children.
As the State is not the employer, my Department does not set wage levels nor determine working conditions for staff working in the sector. The most recent published data indicates that the average hourly wage in the sector was €12.55 in mid-2019.
I recently wrote to the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, recommending the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee for the sector, in line with the Programme for Government. If established, a Joint Labour Committee would provide an opportunity for relevant parties to engage in negotiations on an Employment Regulation Order, which could ultimately establish binding rates of pay and conditions for the sector. In addition, my Department has over a number of years provided a range of programmes and funding supports to service providers to support them to improve wages and working conditions.
One recent measure I took in this regard lies within the Access Inclusion Model (AIM), the objective of which is to help service providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that children with a disability can fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. In 2020 I was successful in increasing the AIM budget by €3.6 million. The majority of this additional allocation was used to increase the AIM Level 7 supports to providers from €195 per week to €210 per week, as from January 2021. This funding is provided to the pre-school provider and can be used either to reduce the adult-child ratio in the pre-school room or to buy in additional assistance.
