Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
1295. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding early years education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12842/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children and Youth Affairs believes that staff in the childcare sector have a critical role to play in delivering high quality childcare services and that they deserve to be valued and respected for the important role they play with our children. Because childcare costs to parents in Ireland are one of the highest in the OECD, there is a need to address affordability and quality at the same time.
The Programme for Government commits to carrying out an independent review of the cost of providing quality childcare. This commitment aligns closely with work on the design and development of a new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme which is due to be introduced later this year, and the Department is progressing this work in that context. The review will feed into future policy development, including in relation to levels of payments to services.
The last two budgets delivered a 35% increase each year in funding for childcare. However, it is recognised that there is a need to continue to invest and a strong case will be put forward for more resources in 2018. To go some way towards addressing cost pressures faced by providers in the sector, €10m has been secured to enable providers to be paid for non-contact time, where they will have no children present and they will be able to pay staff to concentrate on administrative workload. Services themselves can decide how to use the payment when it is received.
While my Department is not an employer of childcare workers it is a significant funder of childcare services and very conscious that there is an issue with regard to the pay and conditions of workers in the sector. My Department is engaging with the early years sector, including through the National Collaborative Forum for the Early Years Care and Education Sector (The Early Years Forum) to explore how this can be addressed in the short, medium and long term. The Early Years Forum has been established to allow issues of relevance, such as these, to be discussed with key stakeholders. The Forum has enabled consultation and engagement between myself as Minister, key Department of Children and Youth Affairs officials, and key representatives of the sector. I have chaired the first two meetings of the Early Years Forum which has deepened my understanding of the issues facing the Early Years Sector and allowed me to share my vision of the sector moving forward.
