I propose to take Questions Nos. 1003 and 1022 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 the Pobal Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2018/19, of approximately 26,000 staff working directly with children, it is estimated that 60% (or 15,600) are paid below €12.30 per hour and 40% (or 10,400) are paid €12.30 or more.
On this basis, it can be 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 be approximately €30 million. The additional cost to employers for this in terms of employer PRSI and holiday pay would be €6m, bringing the total cost to €36m.
My Department does not currently have a breakdown of this cost specifically for raising the wages for practitioners who hold a level 5 award as their highest qualification. It should be noted that a proportion of those working in the sector who have qualifications higher than level 5 (at levels 6, 7 and 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) also earn less than €12.30 per hour. For example, while data from the 2018/19 Pobal Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows the average wage of practitioners with a level 6 qualification to be €12.63 per hour, the average wage for early years assistants working in non-ECCE rooms who have a Level 6 qualification was €11.18 per hour.