Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
381. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked 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]
View answer382. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked 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]
View answer383. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked 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]
View answerI 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.
