Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 November 2022
88. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report on the progress of improving the pay and conditions of those who work in the childcare sector. [56897/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI firmly believe that the level of pay in the sector should reflect the value of the work that early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners do for children, for families, for society and the economy.
As the State does not employ early years educators or school-age childcare practitioners, I cannot set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
However, through the Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services, a formal mechanism has now been established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate pay rates for this sector. This is an independent process and neither I, nor my Department, are represented on the JLC. It is a matter for the JLC members to negotiate and agree minimum rates of pay and working conditions.
On 15 September this year, as a result of an agreement in the JLC, the first ever Employment Regulation Orders for Early Years Services came into effect, setting new minimum hourly rates of pay. The Employment Regulation Orders include minimum rates for different roles and qualification levels, thus creating a new pay structure within Early Years Services. The new minimum hourly rates of pay range from €13.00 per hour for Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare practitioners to €17.25 per hour for Graduate Managers.
This historic achievement is supported by the new Core Funding scheme, which will see increases in funding to early learning and care and school-age childcare services to support improvements in staff wages, alongside a commitment to freeze parental fees. Core Funding also commenced on 15 September.
In addition, as announced in Budget 2023, the Core Funding allocation will increase by €28 million in year 2 of this scheme and I have signalled that €4 million of that allocation will support the removal of the "3-year experience" rule for graduate premiums (subject to the amendment of the Employment Regulation Order), with the allocation of the remaining €24 million to be informed by the emerging data from the first year of funding.
