I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding childcare. On Wednesday, 18 September 2024, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Childcare: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Claire Kerrane on Wednesday, 18 September 2024:
That Dáil Éireann:
recognises:
— the importance of affordable, accessible and reliable childcare or childminding arrangements for working families, society and the wider economy;
— the crucial role that childcare professionals play in shaping the future of our children; and
— that childcare is an essential service and it is time it was given the investment and priority that it needs;
notes that:
— after 14 years of a Fine Gael Government childcare costs remain too high, with some parents paying the equivalent of "a second mortgage";
— these high costs are unfair and unsustainable; and
— thousands of children are on waiting lists for childcare places across the State, many that do not exist;
furthermore notes other countries cap the price of childcare and it is a time to do it in Ireland where parents pay some of the highest childcare costs in Europe; and
calls on the Government to:
— make childcare more affordable for parents by increasing the subsidy under the National Childcare Scheme to deliver €10 a day childcare per child;
— increase pay for Early Years Educators and all grades initially by €1.50, and commit to annual pay increases to give certainty and retain professionals in the sector;
— urgently increase capacity in the sector by accelerating the process in which childminders can provide the subsidy to parents and incorporate the social enterprise model to make use of vacant and underused buildings to increase capacity in the community; and
— extend Parent's Leave and Benefit schemes to ensure parents have the choice to remain with their baby in the first year of life.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"welcomes that:
— the present Government has implemented the most significant reform agenda to early learning and childcare in the history of the State;
— total Government investment in early learning and childcare has almost doubled since 2020, rising to €1.1 billion this year, well in excess of the First 5 annual State investment target of €970 million by 2028, which was exceeded five years earlier than planned; and
— Core Funding has acted as the lynchpin to achieving the unprecedented simultaneous goals of providing stabilising investment in services, improving the quality-of-care children receive, increasing pay and improving conditions for staff, and halving average early learning and childcare costs for parents, noting in particular that:
— provision for Core Funding has increased from €259 million in Year 1 to €331 million this year;
— fees in partner services have remained frozen, enabling record investment into the National Childcare Scheme (NCS); out of pocket costs for parents have fallen by up to 50 per cent for users of full-time early learning and childcare, and NCS universal subsidies are now worth up to €5,000 per child per year;
— this year a fee cap has been introduced for the first time in new partner services, extending to all partner services next year, creating a maximum price that can be charged for early learning and childcare and bringing fees down yet further; and
— successive employment regulation orders supported by Core Funding have increased pay for, and improved conditions for, early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners for the first time, as well as aided development of career pathways in the sector, in line with Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare (2022-2028);
recalling that:
— the estimated number of enrolments in services rose by 8 per cent, from 197,210 to 213,154, between September 2021 and September 2023;
— between Year 1 and Year 2 of Core Funding, annual place hours increased by 7.4 per cent;
— data from Tusla shows a net increase of 129 in the overall number of services in 2023 and a five year low in the number of net Early Learning Care (ELC) services closures -with ELC service closures falling by 18 per cent since the introduction of Core Funding;
— the estimated number of staff in the early learning and childcare workforce rose by 8 per cent, from 34,357 to 37,060, between September 2021 and September 2023; and
— data from the NCS showing that since 2022, there has been a 22 per cent increase in the number of providers offering the Scheme, a 977 increase in the numbers of children benefitting from the Scheme, and a 52 per cent increase in the number of sponsored children, and in 2024 to date, almost 200,000 children have benefited from the NCS;
further welcoming:
— the continued success of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which enjoys uptakes rates in excess of 96 per cent and has removed barriers to accessing pre-school education, with data from a recent review showing that more than 40 per cent of families would not have been able to send their child to pre-school without this programme;
— the growth of the award-winning Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), now supporting more than 7,000 children with a disability each year;
— the roll-out of Equal Start, a new funding model and set of universal and targeted measures to support access to, and participation in, early learning and childcare for children and their families who experience disadvantage;
— the major progress in implementation of the National Action Plan for Childminding (2021-2028), with new regulations commencing on 30th September making it possible for childminders to register with Tusla and participate in the NCS; and
— the combined durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent's Leave and Benefit, which is now 46 weeks, almost covering the first full year of every child's life;
whilst also noting that:
— the policy document 'Sinn Féin's Childcare Plan' recently announced by that party betrays a distinct lack of vision for the delivery of early learning and childcare as a public good;
— the aforementioned plan makes no mention of a public model for future delivery of early learning and childcare, instead relying on a primarily privatised delivery model, funded largely by the taxpayer;
— successive Sinn Féin budget submissions on early learning and childcare failed to keep pace with the Government's own investment record over the same period;
— the plan fails to acknowledge that it is solely because of the extensive reforms and record investment into early learning and childcare by the current Government that delivery of affordable accessible and quality early learning and childcare is possible, and is happening; and
— the Sinn Féin plan effectively endorses the Government's approach over the last four years, seeks to build on it but offers no ultimate vision of what kind of early years model citizens should expect for their investment; and
welcomes the fact that:
— because of the reforms undertaken by the current Government, a public model for the delivery of early learning and childcare is finally a real possibility, which will bring Ireland into line with other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, having amongst the best quality services, accessible and affordable to all;
— with the right future investment the State can move towards guaranteeing a place for every child in early learning and care; and
— State investment into early learning and childcare is now amongst the most effective uses of taxpayer money towards a public good, thanks to the Together for Better Funding Model, ensuring that new investment works to increase affordability, increase availability, value professionals and put providers on a sure footing.".
-(Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 66; Níl, 58; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 69; Níl, 57; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 7.28 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 26 Meán Fómhair 2024.
The Dáil adjourned at 7.28 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 26 September 2024.