Claire Kerrane
Roscommon-Galway · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“For carers and the loved ones they care for, respite is really important. It should not be beyond us to ensure that respite is guaranteed and consistent rather than having a situation where service providers go year to year looking at lists of people in terms of who they can and cannot give respite to due to funding implications.”
“Approximately 160 of the 13,000 to 15,000 childminders in the State have signed up. There is clearly an issue. No matter how hard the consultation was in terms of its significance, it clearly has not worked. There is a major issue and there is a huge job of work to be done.”
“The Minister's amendment also speaks about parent's leave and benefit, maternity leave and the leave available specifically to two-parent families. There is an ongoing anomaly, which I have raised many times, for one-parent families. It would cost a small amount of money.”
“It is as though we are reading two different motions. Contrary to what both Ministers have said, the motion is not just about affordability and accessibility. In fact, in that first €10 a day childcare plan in 2024, I ensured it was not just about affordability and accessibility, as I have done with this motion.”
“There has not been one year where the Minister has not had to go out of her way to get the JLC to the table to actually deliver on pay. Most times, they end up in the Labour Court. I cannot fathom how that can be in any way called an effective approach to pay. There are educators who would earn more in a supermarket in many cases.”
“I met some who said to me that they find it difficult to do a four-year degree and come out to earn an amount of money per hour that they could earn in the local supermarket. That is no level of respect for these professionals, without whom we would have no childcare sector and would not have to worry about places or cost.”
The complete record
Every one of 397 lines we hold for Claire Kerrane, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to these statements on Pride. I am proud to be an ally of the LGBTQI+ community. I am glad that in voting for marriage equality ten years ago, we did not just stop at that point and say "Job done". It is important that we continue the conversation and face head on the challenges that remain for those in the LGBTQI+ community. The inequalities that community faces endure and the battle to overcome these inequalities continues, so we must also continue to break down those inequalities and ensure that every person who lives on this island, no matter who they are, feels equal and safe in being who they are and never feels like they have to answer for, explain or battle for it.”
“I just want to clarify what I said. If my constituent's partner had died in December 2024, she would have got that payment from then on. Because he died in December 2021, she will of course be able to apply for the payment and I welcome that but she will not get it because it was in 2021 and, therefore, it is not backdated. My point is that the date should not matter, but it is going to matter. I do welcome the difference this payment will make to her and to others, although I want to reiterate what my colleagues have said about amendment No. 1. It is very important. The judge was very clear with regard to children, and that is what this is supposed to be about.”
“It is something that has been asked of the Minister, and he has said it cannot be done, but I would like him to take the opportunity this evening to advise us on what he has done on the extension of this and why it is not possible. We will have people who will access the widow's pension because their partner died after a certain date, and we will have widows in the exact same position but based on the date they will not be able to access it. This is deeply unfair. We should never base laws on a certain date or time. It should be for everyone, and it should be equal no matter what date someone lost the person they love, in many cases the father or mother of their children.”
“I have been raising this issue for a number of years because of a constituent close to my hometown who lost her fiancé in December 2021. They had three very young children and he died suddenly. They were due to get married but, unfortunately, because of Covid the wedding had to be cancelled. It was postponed and then he died suddenly. If he had died in December 2024 she would have been entitled to the widow's pension but based on the date she will not be entitled to it. I had promised her, as I sought this change, that I hoped it would be for everyone who has lost a partner, regardless of the date. There are not that many people in this category. I feel obliged, now that legislation is going through, to make the case on her behalf. She is not the only one but I feel obliged to do it this evening.”
“I want to be associated with the case made on amendment No. 1 and I wish to speak in support of amendment No. 2, which is grouped with amendment No. 1. Amendment No. 2 proposes a report that includes the examination of estimated savings by excluding those who lost a partner before that date in January 2024. For a number of years in the House I have raised the need to extend the widows pension to unmarried couples where a partner is lost, particularly where there are children. Accessing supports based on marriage is a very outdated, old and ancient rule in social welfare. Of course, when it comes to the means test and everything else, it does not matter whether people are cohabiting. Marriage is irrelevant and everyone's means are taken into account. It is one rule for one thing and another rule in other cases when money is paid out.”
“The programme for Government commits, for the very first time, to providing capital investment to build or purchase State-owned childcare facilities to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. I attended the launch of a childcare needs analysis in Boyle, County Roscommon, last Friday. Their analysis concludes that, in the Boyle catchment area, there are 20 childcare places per 1,043 children. A figure of 77% of children aged zero to four years have no access to a childcare place. For me, this is the definition of "unmet need". I understand some scoping work has been done by the Department to identify need and capacity issues. I ask that the commitment in the programme for Government to provide such investment be made available now where need is shown and proven already rather than taking the time to do the scoping.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I presume and expect that, as we come to budget 2026, she will consider further capacity to reduce waiting lists further, in particular as the HSE is expected to exceed a waiting list of 24,000 by the end of the year, an incredible figure. We need to consider how much we can get from private capacity. In her final response, the Minister of State might speak about regional assessment hubs. When will they be established? What will they mean for people on waiting lists? Do we know how many children and people on waiting lists will be seen? How will the system work and play a role in reducing and tackling long waiting lists?”
“I thank the Minister of State for her reply. She may not have them with her but is it possible to get figures? She gave percentage increases of 30% and 65% in the first few months of this year. If she has the figures for what that means in the numbers of assessments of need, that would be really helpful. While the Government continues to build public capacity which is very important, the Minister of State previously said that funding will not be an issue in accessing private capacity. Has the HSE examined how much more private capacity can be reached to see how many more people can be taken off the waiting list? Can the Minister of State update us on staffing and the set up and establishment of the regional assessment hubs? Where are they at in terms of their establishment and set up?”
“My question follows on from the previous one. What actions is the Minister of State taking to reduce the ever growing waiting lists for assessment of need? We know from the HSE that it expects the waiting list will exceed 24,000 and will be closer to 25,000 by the end of this year.”
“A total of €45 million is being provided in the latest round, as just one example. Based on the process and the Minister's meetings and engagements on this issue, on which she has been forceful, does she think it would be worthwhile after this next increase to look at the process in place?”
“I would like to see the figures from previous JLCs on the amount of money brought forward by the Government in previous budgets and the amount of money that was actually spent on whatever the increase was. We will find quite a gap there, particularly when we look at the last increase and the length of time it took to achieve that. It was little or nothing in real terms. Regarding the JLC itself, we all recognise that pay is a major issue. Once this JLC has concluded its work, which I hope will be sooner rather than later, and ahead of September, would the Minister be willing to look at the process again and perhaps conduct a review of how pay is determined? While I appreciate entirely that the Government and the State do not pay the wages, it is providing significant funds from taxpayer money.”
“I thank the Minister. We have known for quite some time that pay is the single biggest issue. It has become and continues to be the main issue. While the work of the joint labour committee continues, we are now well into June and it unfortunately appears there is a wide gap between one side of the table and the other on the joint labour committee. SIPTU is seeking that providers must pay a minimum of €15 per hour to our early years educators. As this process continues, I am concerned that we do not appear to be getting anywhere. A total of €45 million is on the table. In fairness to the Minister, while she has, of course, said she is independent of the process, which I respect, she has been direct in saying that the money needs to be spent to build and ensure the highest increase possible. I welcome the Minister’s meeting today.”
“I wish to ask the Minister about our early years educators. Staff turnover rates are high, particularly for private providers. We also have issues with capacity and retaining our early years educators. Of course, pay is a key issue. What areas is the Minister looking at to ensure we retain our early years educators in order to build on the capacity that is very much needed?”
“Will the Taoiseach seek engagement from the Minister and Minister of State? The damage done is incredible and difficult to put into words. I ask the Government to step in and do what it can to support the community.”
“Earlier in the week, I was in Gortaganny in west Roscommon to see the impact of a recent wildfire, the worst we had ever seen in our county. Having seen the damage first hand, I felt obliged to raise it with the Taoiseach. Over a thousand acres of bogland and forestry have been destroyed. I have written to the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to seek engagement with and support for the landowners affected. I have also reached out to the European Commission because Carrowbehy bog is a special area of conservation, SAC. The area has been looked after locally, especially by Gortaganny Community Development, and the biodiversity there has thrived. It is unacceptable that we would leave landowners and farmers high and dry following a fire or a storm, events that are totally out of their control.”
“Many of the children of Ballinasloe should have seen this school and of course, many of them will have gone on to secondary school and far beyond that by the time we get to this point. Again, there is a safety concern. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would bring this back to the Minister.”
“I am constantly contacted by parents who are struggling to receive and access a special class place for their child. In this case, I was told about some children last year in south Roscommon whose siblings were in the school in Ballinasloe but their brothers and sisters could not attend because the school is at capacity. The real reason - I emphasise the need for progress on this - is the position the school is in across two sides of a busy road. I again press upon the Minister of State that while I appreciate there has been movement relating to the stage 2(b) submission, this is the third 2(b) submission to go in and this really needs to be the last one. We need to see progress. We need a timeline for when we will see this project go to tender. We need to see the sod turned and construction begin. This has gone on far too long.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is welcome that the stage 2(b) submission made by the school is getting attention from the Department but what is important here is that we move things along as quickly as possible. After 29 years, the school and the entire school community have waited long enough. At this point, they have been through five principals while waiting for this school. It is a difficult position to put a school principal and board of management in, with some 300 children enrolled in the school and a growing waiting list. It is also difficult for a school that very much wants to do more for special education by opening special classes and being proactive in making that happen for children in the community.”
“The school needs to know when this is happening and have some kind of timeline so it knows this new build is coming. It has gone on for far too long.”
“Due to the school being in limbo for the past 20 plus years, it has limited itself in carrying out remedial works because the understanding was that the new school was coming. Energy bills account for the entire capitation grant every single year. According to Pobal, the Ballinasloe urban area - which is spread across several areas - is categorised as extremely disadvantaged. This is a community and town that is long overdue a new school. The length of time this has gone on is totally unacceptable. I want to see movement on this as a local representative for the area. I want to see this project moved to tender and into construction. Almost 30 years after the commitment and promise was first made, the Government should look to move on the stage 2(b) submission which has been with the Department since March.”
“We know, of course, about the demand for special classes and the number of children and families who are left seeking special classes all the time. It is no different in Ballinasloe, where this school's catchment area feeds into Counties Galway, Roscommon and Westmeath. It is a very large catchment area. The school is located across two buildings on opposite sides of a very busy road. It is on Society Street with traffic coming in and out of Ballinasloe and is one of the main entrances and exits out of the county town. This is really dangerous. Frankly, it is incredible in this day and age that one school is spread across two locations across the road from each other on a very busy road. One building dates back to the 1930s while the second was built in the 1970s. It is a single block with no insulation and single-pane windows.”
“I met with the principal of the school earlier this year and at that point, the stage 2(b) submission was being prepared and was later submitted in March of this year. The latest update I have from the Department is that it is being reviewed. There are currently 300 children enrolled in the school with a growing waiting list that cannot be touched without additional capacity being made available. The school is unique in that it has been designated a DEIS band 2 school and has been since the status commenced in 2006. The school has three special classes; two for children with developmental language delay and one for children with autism. There would and will be capacity for two autism classes in the new school building.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this debate to proceed this evening. In 1996, the Department of Education amalgamated two schools in my constituency in Ballinasloe, County Galway, to become Scoil Chroí Naofa. This was done with the understanding of the Department of Education that a new school building would be provided. That was 29 years ago. There have been design teams appointed at several stages, planning permissions have been received and extended, and stage 2(b) submissions have been made - the latest submission to the Department is the third one to date. In 2016, the Department of Education informed the school's board of management that the new school would be going to construction that year, almost a decade ago. There has been false dawn after false dawn for this project and we are no further on.”
“I appreciate that it is taxpayers' money but this is a genuine case. This group has an existing childcare building it is looking to extend. The owner of the land is willing to develop that. This group will then buy the land, as it did for the building it is in today. Given the capacity issues, I ask that we try to find ways, in genuine cases, where the benefit of where the money is going can be very clearly shown, to possibly look at that as an avenue.”
“It reads like a cry for help in terms of the need for other Departments and State agencies to be at the table and to play their part, which, from the look of the report, they are not doing. Additional funding is going into early years. Nobody can deny that, but the reality is we still have huge waiting lists, significant capacity issues and parents are still paying far too much for childcare. Many families are really struggling. I welcome the building blocks capital programme, which provides a great opportunity for an awful lot of communities. I raised the matter of Ballinasloe Community Childcare Group in my constituency with the Minister. Demand there far exceeds capacity. It looked to that capital programme but because it does not own the land, it cannot access the funding.”
“We need to look at opening that up to many more of them. On the expenditure allowance for special care, there is an allocation of €1.2 billion and a list that includes special care. The Minister will be well aware of the external report published yesterday on behalf of Tusla. It makes very concerning reading, particularly in respect of the severe recruitment and retention crisis. We are seeing departure rates exceeding recruitment. In fairness, it seems a lot has been done to try to recruit but due in particular to the violence, harassment and aggression that is being seen, people are really struggling. There is a high level of absenteeism as well. That needs to be looked at in the context of funding. Again, it is not just about funding. The report is very clear on that.”
“The Minister will have huge demand with the family resource centres wanting to come in. There are two which I engage with a lot in my constituency. One is Ballinasloe, a town in County Galway that is identified by Pobal, particularly in the town area, as extremely disadvantaged. It should have had a family resource centre two decades ago but there is one there now. It is fantastic in the services and supports it provides but it will be hamstrung if it cannot get sustainable funding as it starts off. Similarly, South Roscommon Family Resource centre, based in Roscommon town, also provides wonderful services and supports to its community. It very much relies and will depend on this funding from the Department. Of course, not everyone will be able to get in, but everyone in this House recognises the work of family resource centres.”
“It was not in the Third World. We need to look at that. I welcome that there has been movement on pay for the section 39 workers but we need to go much further. I would like to see additional funding and a commitment to that, especially as we approach the budget, to give certainty to those in our community and voluntary organisations who, when it comes to assessment of needs and various therapies, do exactly what they do in the HSE but are not paid anything like what they are paid in the HSE. We need to look at that, especially when waiting lists are as they are. I welcome the additional funding that has been made available to family resource centres. Unfortunately, I understand only a very small number of family resource centres will have the opportunity to come in under the national programme for funding which is so important to them.”
“On the assessment of needs and the continuation of the waitlist initiative, I want to press the Minister again on Cara's fund and additional funding for that as well as the long overdue need for a workforce plan. Yesterday, I spoke of the issue with CORU recognition. While I appreciate it is not under the Minister's Department specifically, I would ask that she speak to the Minister for Health on that. A pathway has been found for occupational therapists where they train in England for their masters there and come home. The same pathway should be there for speech and language therapy but it is not. Will the Minister please engage on that? I am dealing with someone who has been ten months home, who is a fully qualified speech and language therapist and who cannot work. We are crying out for them. Her training was in England.”
“It is frightening to think that is the position we are in when we are such a rich country. These are our most vulnerable citizens. Therefore, while we talk about disability funding, and I acknowledge that it has increased, we must make sure the funding is getting to those who need it most. I cannot understand how those like the Brothers of Charity are down €8 million of funding and are scrimping and scraping, especially when it comes to desperately needed respite. The representatives told me they have about 35 people on the list for long-term residential care and there is nowhere for them. They also spoke about the huge difficulties they have with transport and transport costs. This is particularly acute, as the Minister will know, in rural areas especially.”
“They have seen a drop in funding for County Galway of €2 million and it impacts Roscommon by a loss of about €500,000. When I met the Brothers of Charity, both the manager of the Roscommon area and of Galway, there was a list of parents seeking respite. The manager had, I think, about €10,000 and was trying to work out how to divvy it up between parents, some of whom had children with additional needs aged 18 years and who had never had respite. It is frightening to think how in this day and age, with a surplus of more than €8 billion this year and when we are one of the richest and most successful economies in Europe, somebody is in a position where they are trying to work out if they can give a few hours' respite here or there and who is going to lose out or who will get respite.”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and the documentation we have been provided with that details the elements of both Votes. I will focus my contribution on Vote 40 and raise some issues with what has been outlined and what the Minister outlined, much of which is welcome, particularly the increased budget for disability which we must acknowledge. It has been rising and that is welcome. That said, one of the key measures here is to progress the action plan for disability services, which is very important, but very much to focus on the supports and services to ensure they are person centred and enable those who rely on them. I recently met representatives of the Brothers of Charity in Roscommon town. Their overall budget this year is down by €8 million.”
“Fund Cara's fund, make the money available, and ensure that every one of those children gets the assessment of need they deserve to meet their potential, for them, their parents and their families.”
“The Minister went on to say we cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely, and of course we cannot. We would not be relying on it at all if capacity had been put in to the public sector, but it has not been. That is the Government's failure, and that is why it now needs to look at increased funding to ensure that all of those 15,296 children and rising get the assessments of need they deserve, are entitled to and are legally required to receive within six months. I would say we are not over-reliant in any way, shape or form on the private sector. We need more of it. It is a pity that we do, but that is the position the Government has brought us to. That is the situation we are in. Cara Darmody's ask is very clear.”
“Then we wonder why people are not coming home, or are not able to come home or take up a position here. They are going abroad instead, and it is people abroad who are getting the benefit of them. I might highlight two points the Minister made in her earlier remarks. One was in regard to the €10 million in funding that has been delivered by the Government this year, which the Minister says will deliver 2,850 assessments of need, and she is confident this initiative will continue to support and deliver for these children. We are looking at almost 25,000 children by the end of the year. I would say 2,850 assessments of need is a drop in the ocean. We need to look at that level of funding. The €10 million sum is nowhere near enough, looking at 2,850 assessments of need.”
“She went to Scotland and has been home for ten months. She is a fully qualified speech and language therapist and she is waiting on CORU registration. In her own words, she said: It is now the case that I am home almost ten months willing and ready to work yet I cannot obtain employment as a speech and language therapist due to the length of the recognition process. My application is only in stage one and I am told it will take at least four months. She understands that a quicker process has been put in place for occupational therapy, but it has not been for speech and language therapy. We are crying out for therapists. Her master's was done in Scotland, not in Mozambique, yet she is sitting at home and cannot take up a job as a therapist that we so desperately need.”
“No matter how many times the Government lauds the number of special classes, the private capacity going in, the money and the investment, it is not having the impact we need to see. Parents are very much at the end of their tether. The bottom line on this issue is we do not have the people to do the job. We do not have the people to do the assessments of need and we do not have the people when it comes to the therapies. I heard from one young person in my constituency in March. She did her degree in Galway and then tried to get a place on the master's course to become a speech and language therapist. She applied to the University of Limerick. There is a HPAT exam, which costs €160 a pop, with an approximate intake of 30 students, but she was unsuccessful twice due to the competitive nature that is there.”
“The waiting list has been more or less growing since 2010, and when you look back at the record of the Dáil, issues have been raised consistently since then in terms of alarm and concern for the waiting list as it continued to grow. Fine Gael has been in government for 14 years; Fianna Fáil has either been supporting or in government for ten. This is not an issue that has arisen overnight. It has continued consistently. With regard to every single action taken by Government, and there have not been many, bar Cara's fund, which I would give credit for, none of the actions taken to date have worked. They have not had an impact on the waiting list, and the figures are there and show that.”
“These children have not had their legal entitlement met, and they should have had their assessment of need within six months. Of course, we all know the impact this has on a child, particularly when it comes to accessing supports at school, and we all hear from parents who are put in an impossible situation where schools are almost hamstrung when it comes to providing the supports and services that child will need. When you are a child, every day counts. I sat here for most of the almost three hours when we had statements, and I listened to Government TD after Government TD. You would be blown away by some of the statements made with respect to how awful and terrible the situation is.”
“I begin by also paying tribute to Cara Darmody, who is here in the Public Gallery with her dad Mark. At 14 years of age, she has made a really valuable contribution to the debate around assessment of need and to the reality of the difficulties that individuals and families face when it comes to accessing autism and disability supports. She has been a voice for children and for parents, and I want to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to Cara. Last week, the HSE provided me with the latest waiting list figures for assessments of need. It has now hit a record 15,296 children, and this figure is only going in one direction. In fact, the HSE itself says it anticipates that it will reach almost 25,000 children by the end of this year, only a short number of months away.”
“No matter how many achievements are lauded by the Government in terms of the number of special classes or the money put into private capacity for those waiting for an assessment of need, it has not been enough. Sometimes waiting list numbers are just seen as numbers and are almost normalised. Nobody is surprised any more as they continue to go up and up, but we have to remember all the time that these are children. They are children who require additional supports to meet their potential but the Government is not doing enough. Parents are at the end of their tether. We need to see private capacity bulked up and Cara's fund adequately funded. We also need to see the workforce plan to provide the number of therapists needed. The top and bottom of this issue is that we do not have the people to do the job they need to do.”
“Last week, the HSE provided me with the latest waiting list figures for assessments of need. There are 15,296 children, a record number. These are children who have not had their legal requirement met as they should have received their assessment of need within six months. This impacts on every aspect of their lives, particularly in school. We often hear from parents that schools are totally hamstrung in providing the supports and services children need. In the case of services and supports for these children, every day counts. The Government is failing these children and, again, this is not a new issue. The actions taken by the Government - there have not been many but I am thinking of Cara's fund in particular, which was welcome - have not been enough.”
“Listening to the contributions made on the Government side of the House, most of them sound like commentators. The waiting list for assessments of need did not increase overnight. This has been an issue for many years and the demand for an assessment of need or for disability services has been rising consistently. This is absolutely nothing new. I pay tribute to Cara Darmody and her dad, Mark. At 14 years of age, she has made a really valuable contribution to the debate around assessment of need and highlighted the difficulties in accessing autism and disability services. She has been a real voice for children and parents and she is due a great deal of credit. The best way we can honour Cara's advocacy is to turn the tide on this issue once and for all.”
“These educators are left at the whim of a joint labour committee that is not working and will not deliver for the sector. I ask the Minister to again examine our motion which is simply looking for further detail on the Government's commitment. The fact the Government cannot support it is very concerning the sector.”
“Why does the Government not launch the consultation it has laid out and committed to in the programme for Government rather than posting online videos and surveys? I am afraid, having read the amendment the Government has put forward, that it is just like we saw in the general election, namely, all talk. The Minister needs to meet representatives of the Together for Public alliance, not her Government officials. We also need to provide hope. We have wonderful early years educators who are leaving the sector. I have published the figures on some counties which have a turnover of over 50%. We are losing these educators. It galls me when I see the Minister refer to pay increases. The last pay increase took over 15 months to negotiate and ended up in the Labour Court. The end result was an increase of 65 cent per hour.”
“I am stunned by the amendment the Minister has tabled to the motion. The motion seeks nothing more than for the Government to implement what the Minister outlined in the programme for Government and seeks further information and detail on the Government's commitment to our early years sector in the programme for Government, and the Minister could not even support that. The amendment refers to the terms of reference for a consultation and a timeframe, meeting the Together for Public alliance before commencing with the consultation and a timeline for the action plan. Last week, the Minister's party leader posted a video online asking for feedback on what the Government needs to do in terms of access, affordability and supporting staff. This followed a survey he launched eight months ago to consult parents and stakeholders on their views.”
“I am seeking the Government to move quickly on one commitment in the programme for Government. There are many issues within our early years sector that need to be addressed but we have to look at affordability and accessibility. Far too many parents out there are struggling to find places, struggling to get back to work and when they get a childcare place they are struggling to pay for it. I hope that in her response the Minister will be able to tell us whether she will be willing to meet with the alliance of 43 strong organisations that have come together and are campaigning for a public model of childcare. That is something we should look at. It should be examined in an Irish context. I believe it can play a major role following consultation. I ask the Minister to consider the motion.”
“In bringing forward this motion I am mindful that there was much talk during the general election. I grant that most of it came from the Leader of Fine Gael. He spoke several times about a public model of childcare and it being a key priority if Fine Gael was returned to Government. I noted just a week ago the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, posted a video online asking for feedback, asking what we need to do next in terms of access, affordability and supporting staff. This follows a survey he launched to consult with parents and industry stakeholders on their views eight months ago. I am not sure what the Tánaiste does not get. Start the consultation, prepare the terms of reference, engage with the stakeholders and let us get the consultation done and get the action plan before us so that we can deal with the many issues.”
“We could ask about the review into core funding and when it will commence. There are many issues we could add to this motion. However, it is focusing on that sole commitment because I believe we can make progress where we consult and look at a detailed action plan. We can acknowledge the good and we can acknowledge progress. However, that is useless to parents who are contemplating going back to work, or considering if they are able to return to work. It is no good to the thousands of children on waiting lists for childcare places and to the early years educators who are leaving their profession. That is happening. We only have to look at the turnover figures which are as high as 50% or more in some counties in our State. That should be setting off alarm bells within the Government.”
“I ask that it engage with Together for Public, an alliance, before commencing with the consultation and for a timeframe for the action plan. I am not looking for anything other than what has already been committed to. Of course, I and other colleagues on this side of the House, and indeed the Minister, could add much more to that list such as pay for our early years educators, who are left at the whim of the joint labour committee, JLC, that is not working for them. The 65 cent was the outcome of the last negotiations. That 65 cent is a slap in the face for these educators who are walking away and who we very much need to recruit and retain. How is the Government going to reduce childcare costs to €200 a month while some parents continue to pay well above €1,000 a month?”