Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 June 2022
669. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide advice on a matter (details supplied) in relation to childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI firmly believe that the level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners should reflect the value of their work for children, for families, for society and the economy. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover, and recruitment and staff retention difficulties are undoubtedly linked to pay and conditions, with for example the average pay being €12.60 per hour in 2021.
The State is not the employer, and my Department does not set wage levels nor determine working conditions for staff in the sector. However, I am doing all that is in my power to address the issue.
In particular, I began a process in December 2020 to examine the possibility of regulating pay and conditions and the suitability of a Joint Labour Committee for the sector. This process culminated in the establishment of a Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services, which began meeting in December 2021.
The outcomes of the Joint Labour Committee process will be supported by the new Core Funding stream I announced in Budget 2022 which will provide an additional €73 million of funding in 2022 and is equivalent to more than €221 million in a full year. Core Funding will support providers to meet the obligations of Employment Regulation Orders that may arise from the Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services, improving workforce recruitment and retention through improvement in pay and conditions.
In addition, last December I launched Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028. Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in early learning and care and school-age childcare. One of its five "pillars" comprises commitments aimed at supporting recruitment, retention and diversity in the workforce, and it includes actions to raise the profile of careers in the sector.
My colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, is developing an automatic enrolment retirement savings scheme which will benefit all employees including those working in Early Learning Care and School Age Childcare.
In relation to the issue of affordability, significant investment is being made by my Department to address affordability for parents through the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). I announced a number of changes to the Scheme as part of Budget 2022. These changes will be of significant benefit to many parents.
For instance, from 2 May, the NCS no longer deducts hours spent in pre-school, or school, from NCS awards. This means that parents may use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours so that their children can attend after-school services, which will benefit an estimated 5,000 children from low income families.
In September 2022, the NCS Universal subsidy will be extended to all children under 15 years of age, so that all families will get a minimum subsidy of 50cents a hours, which equates to over €1, 100 per annum for a child in full time childcare.
