Kathleen Funchion: Calls for Budget Action on Childcare Wages
Kathleen Funchion addressed the Dáil on the need for immediate, tangible investment in the early years childcare sector. She urged the forthcoming budget to begin delivering on wages for workers, sustainability for providers and lower fees for parents, and confirmed she would not support the amendment.
Core demand
The deputy focused on three recurring priorities - workers' wages, provider sustainability and fees for parents - and said that while there is growing agreement in debate, agreement must be matched by action.
History of advocacy
She recalled bringing a motion in 2017 after a committee report that had unanimous support but produced no substantive change, and a further motion brought in July 2020. She emphasised that plans and visions are welcome but people need to see the start of investment, not just words on paper.
Impact on workers and providers
The deputy described examples raised in committee of early years workers who struggle to afford unexpected expenses or to finance qualifications despite years of service. She highlighted that many providers - largely women who often began offering care from home - are increasingly burdened by paperwork and regulation.
Regulation and inspections
While accepting the need for rules to protect children, she urged a common-sense approach to regulation and noted calls for reform of inspection arrangements, including the possibility of a single inspection body.
Budget expectations
She said the sector needs a publicly funded early years model that will take time and significant investment, and expressed hope that next week's budget will include the start of that investment targeted at workers, providers and parents. She stated she would not support the amendment and called for tangible measures that people can trust and hold on to.
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Thanks very much. First of all, I just want to thank everybody for their contributions, including yourselves, ministers, and you will know at this stage that it is an issue I have been talking about for a long time. I welcome some aspects because I hear that we all seem to be largely in agreement, but it would not be the first time we would be in debates here where people are saying they are in agreement and yet actions maybe do not always match that. But I do think what I like to see is people talking about the workers and the wages in the sector, the providers and the sustainability issue and the issue of fees because they have always been the three key issues and I feel like that message, at least anyway, to look at the positives, is getting out there. From my point of view, I suppose I first brought forward a motion in relation to this in 2017 and that was after a committee report and now Minister Rabbit was on that committee and there was unanimous support for both for both that report and the motion that night in the Dáil and yet we did not really see any changes. Now I appreciate that you are not yourself, Minister, that was in position at the time, but then in July 2020, shortly after government was formed, one of the first motions we brought forward was again in relation to childcare in the early years and here we are a year and three months later. So when you say you have a new funding model and a new vision, for a lot of people they are wondering when is that actually going to kick in and in fairness to everybody involved in this, the sector, and I think you saw that as well yourself today, how welcoming they were when you actually went out and you were speaking to them. So nobody expects that this is going to happen overnight. Everybody knows it's going to take time and everyone knows it's going to take significant investment and that's where we do need to get to. We do need to get to, you know, publicly funded childcare early year sector and it will take time, but we need to see some action. We need to see the start of that. You know, you can't have a plan on paper and expect people to constantly, you know, have trust and faith in you if they don't actually see any actions coming out of that. And I think that's one of the key things and I would be really hopeful that in next week's budget, we will see the start of that investment in terms of the workers, in terms of the providers and in terms of fees for parents, because, you know, we all could tell countless stories all day and all night in here of the various issues. And I think some of the examples that we heard a committee today of those working in the sector who can't actually afford, you know, on kind of unexpected expenses, you know, to actually go and be qualified and do your degree and be working away for years. And then you're still in that situation. It's very, very disheartening. And for providers who are largely women, you know, that possibly started out with this service in their home and it maybe grew from there. And now all of a sudden they're totally bogged down in paperwork and regulation and nobody has an issue with rules and regulation, particularly when it comes to children. However, there needs to be a common sense approach to that as well. And so I always try and focus on the three issues of fees, sustainability and wages. But there is obviously other issues too around the inspections and maybe having one body to do the inspections. But I just I think that's to try and focus the mind on those issues. That's why I always keep it to that. I want to finish on a quote from somebody who works in the early years, who over the weekend was in contact with me and he actually said, it's very simple. We can't continue as we are. We need a new fairer way for everyone. And I really think that sums it up. It really is that simple. And as I said, no one expects it to be overnight changes, but they do expect some action, some actual something that they can hold on to. Somebody at committee today said they need that hope, that level of hope. So there does need to be something in the budget next week. And I really hope that there will be. As I said, we obviously can't support the amendment. I don't support the amendment and I am disappointed. And from my point of view, I think it's coming up on six years now since 2016 raising this. And some people in here will tell you that's not very long. To me, it seems like a very long time to be constantly raising the same issue. And while I feel the message is getting across maybe a little bit more, we still actually have to do something tangible, something that people can see and hold on to. So we won't be supporting the amendment. But I do very much look forward to the budget next week and really hope that there is something in it for those working in the sector, for those providing the sector and for the parents that rely on it and ultimately for our children who, you know, who benefit from this. And sometimes we forget that in the middle of it all, the benefits that there is for children in the early years sector. Thank you very much.
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