As the State is not the employer of staff in this sector, neither I nor the Department can set pay or determine working conditions. The joint labour committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in employment regulation orders. I absolutely acknowledge the joint labour committee is independent in its functions and I do not have a role in its statutory negotiation process. However, outcomes from the joint labour commit…

I acknowledge this is a personal interest of Deputy Kerrane because she has raised it on many occasions. It is my absolute determination that €45 million is being made available and it is my absolute wish that that €45 million is used fully, totally and wholly for the purpose for which it is given. I would always say, irrespective of whether I am inside the House or outside, that if we do not have a workforce and if they do not feel that they are appropriately remunerated and valued, they will go elsewhere. It is r…

I want to be clear that I absolutely respect the independence of the joint labour committee. It is important it would do its work and that it would have that independence, but I am acknowledging there is that €45 million available and it is my view it should go for the purpose of salaries. The Deputy referenced the previous EROs and what occurred there. I acknowledge that the setting of minimum rates of pay in the previous two EROs was not a product of the joint labour committee negotiation process but as a consequ…

I thank the Deputy and I appreciate the question. The Deputy has engaged with me on an ongoing basis on this. As I have stated previously, the State is not the employer of staff in the sector and neither I nor the Department can set their pay or determine working conditions. The joint labour committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates set down in employment regulation orders. As I have said previously, I acknowledge that the joint labo…

I absolutely agree with the Deputy. It is to everyone's benefit, most especially the children, that we have suitably remunerated and qualified staff. That is the purpose of specifically ring-fencing the funding this year. As I have already said, it is my absolute desire that it would be used in full for that purpose. I also acknowledge that there is significant work under way to support those who might wish to enhance their qualifications through the nurture skills programme, where opportunities are being given for…

I agree with the Deputy; I believe there is unanimity here regarding the €45 million and how it should be spent in full. If the joint labour committee is unable to agree on a new employment regulation order for the start of the 2025-26 year, the ring-fenced €45 million will not be made available at the start of the year either. That is the purpose of it. I am hopeful and it is my wish that everything will be done in advance of the 2025-26 year. Obviously, it is a win-win situation for everyone if the children are b…

I thank the Deputy. This issue is of particular interest to him and he has raised it many times. As I have said previously, the introduction of core funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8 million was entirely new funding. Since the scheme was introduced, its effectiveness has been subject to ongoing review and the scheme itself has evolved year on year. Core funding increased by 11% …

As I have said previously, there has been almost €1 billion of investment by the State into this whole sector. It is unprecedented; it has never been done before. It has had a significant impact, both in terms of supporting providers, but also reducing costs for parents. We are now seeing more services opening than closing, which is a significant feature and consequence of core funding. In fact, 92% of all providers are in the core funding model. It is very high. As a consequence, we have seen fee freezes in a majo…

I cannot and will not underestimate how important it is that we get this right. However, I am also conscious that it is an evolving and live situation. Things change and move with time. From every step of the way of the introduction of core funding, there have been learnings, notwithstanding the fact that there is a significant evaluation of the first year of core funding, and how this evaluation will examine the early implementation of core funding and make recommendations for future changes and additions that we …

I thank the Deputy. The annual early years sector profile survey does not collect staff retention data specifically. However, it does record data on staff turnover. Data from this survey shows that, over the period from 2019 to 2023, staff turnover rates ranged from 23% in 2019 to 24.5% in 2023. The 2023 data shows that almost one third of the turnover rate is due to staff moving from one provider to another. Staff turnover is linked to pay and working conditions. While the Government is the primary funder of the s…

I confirm there is a significant increase through core funding. It is going to €350 million for the 2025-26 year, which is a hugely significantly amount of resource provided by the State. As I said previously, 92% of providers are participating in the core funding model. In its entirety, if we look at the last three years and going into this following year, almost €1 billion is being expended by the State here. It is a real surety for providers that this funding is being made available. It is important to say when …

It is important that there is now a forward planning unit in the Department to ensure we are looking towards the future to see where there are significant gaps in the need for the service and the lack of the service being provided. The Government has given the commitment in the programme for Government that where this gap might be in play, and where no providers are taking the opportunity to provide the service, the State will step in. Currently a mapping tool is being developed and utilised by the Department to en…

Investment in early learning and childcare is now at an unprecedented level, with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025 clearly demonstrating the Government’s commitment in this area. As well as addressing affordability, this investment has served to improve accessibility, availability and the quality of provision. The new programme for Government provides the impetus to go further and to deliver more high-quality early learning and childcare places at a cost that is affordable to families. It will build o…

The Deputy is 100% correct. Accessibility is hugely important. If we do not have sufficient places available to parents then it is a huge burden. We are currently looking at seeking the information on where there is a need for the service and where the service is not available locally. The Government is currently looking at ways the State can step in at that point to provide those additional places. Those places would enhance what is already being provided by private providers but it would provide additionality led…

I agree that we should look at the widest offering already available within communities. We also have work to do regarding new housing developments where provision should be made for childcare facilities. That is being asked for but it is not always provided. In some areas, it works really well but, to be honest, it does not work well in other areas. A significant body of work needs to be done there. We are engaging with the Department of housing in that regard. The Deputy is right. Wherever there is an opportunity…

The access and inclusion model, AIM, has supported more than 24,000 children with additional needs to access and meaningfully participate in the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme since 2020. In September 2024, AIM was expanded beyond time spent in the ECCE programme for ECCE-aged children. These children can now access AIM supports for up to an additional three hours per day during the ECCE term and up to six hours per day outside of the ECCE term, that is, during holiday periods. The supports ava…

For sure, I will. It is a great model. Any additional supports that can be made available to children in any educational setting should be made available. As I previously said in respect of AIM supports, there is flexibility in the model. That is important. It can provide targeted supports and universal supports. Targeted measures are very much based on the individual needs of children. These might comprise specialised equipment or appliances or a capital grant to make minor alterations. As I have said, there can a…

As I said previously, we all know that the earlier a child can get additional support, the better the outcome. We know that from our present education settings. When we talk about early learning and support, the earlier we can provide supports, the better. That is the specific reason we are looking at going beyond the ECCE model and including children who have not yet reached that point. The beauty of AIM is that it is showing itself to be flexible. We are continually learning through the model. Where there are opp…

As the Deputy is aware, Tusla responds to all reports of sexual abuse promptly to ensure children are safeguarded. A child abuse notification is reported to An Garda Síochána in line with the joint working protocol between An Garda Síochána and Tusla. An Garda Síochána will deal with any criminal aspects of cases alleging abuse under the relevant criminal justice legislation. All allegations of child abuse are responded to, ensuring the safety and welfare needs of identified children who may be at risk of potential…

Just to be clear, over the ten-year period that was part of the Deputy's question, there have been 221 admissions to care, as he has said and I have confirmed, out of a total of 11,183, where sexual abuse has been reported. These were admissions to care, and out of a total of 11,183 such admissions, there were 221 admissions to care where sexual abuse was reported. Regarding the figure, there may have been instances where a child had been admitted to care more than once and, as I said, the Department is happy to pr…