Kathleen Funchion calls for childcare survey timeline and pay action

I think this is just quite similar actually to the last question we've had, so I understand that probably some of the points have been raised, but it's in relation to the survey on income and costs for the childcare sector that's currently being compiled by Pubble, and when will that be published or is there an update on that? Thanks. Carol? Thanks, Deputy. The deadline for responses to the income and cost survey as well as to the annual early year sector profile survey was the 30th of June, and this date was extended from the original deadline. in response to requests from providers, and in order to facilitate improved response rates, a significant amount of data has been collected through both surveys, and this data will now be prepared for analysis, and this involves a number of steps to clean and organise the data before it can be analysed, written up, and reported on. Because of the volume and the complexity of the data, these steps will take several months, and I expect therefore that the findings of the annual early year sector profile survey will be published in quarter four of this year, followed by the publication of findings from the income and cost survey in early 2022, and this year's income and cost survey will help us to understand the nature of the additional costs that arise in delivering the early learning and childcare in accordance with COVID-19 public health guidance, and the survey will also help us as we consider the best means of supporting the sector as we move beyond COVID, and in addition, the survey allows us to update the hourly unit costs of delivering services. It gives us valuable information on the costs of different types of services, as well as updated assessments on the breakdown of providers operating costs across services, and the data collected in this year's income and cost survey bills, and the previous survey undertaken in 2018, as part of the independent review of the costs of delivering quality early learning and childcare in Ireland, to the employment wage subsidy scheme turnover rule, and the findings of that review are also informing work underway to develop a new funding model for the sector. So, following the launch of the independent review in November, I requested additional data analysis to be undertaken to better understand profit in the sector, and which are the services that are actually making significant profits, and that analysis is almost complete, and I hope to publish those findings shortly. I hope to function. I hope there's a number of reviews going on then at the moment, and when would you practically expect that this will actually filter down to the sector, if you know what I mean by that? Obviously, there's a lot that seems to be due at the end of this year, so do you imagine that some of this will be implemented early next year? And I just, a point I wanted to make in the last question as well, just in relation to the workforce, and the fact that it is primarily women working in the sector, and we, you know, time and time again see sectors that are mainly dominated by women that have the lower terms and conditions and the lower wages, and I just, I admitted to make that point, and I wanted to make it. And then the last thing is, in relation to PUBL, they launched their annual early year sector profile, and it seemed to find that childcare fees are going up, and yet I noticed, just in reply to Deputy Tully's question, that you were saying that fees shouldn't be going up. So I'm just wondering, is there something that needs to be looked at in relation to that? Thanks. On the issue of, I suppose, the gendered nature of the workforce here, I completely take your point, and we passed the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill in Shannon, Erin last night, which was a significant step forward, but just also, I suppose, it's going to provide us the raw data, the real information of something we know already, that is the terms of the fact that women do not receive the same pay as men for work of the same value, and that's something that we need to address as a government and as a society. Look, obviously, I will be looking at the information and the data I already have in terms of my department's ask in Budget 2022, so I would hope to be in the position to implement some of these changes next year. Some of these changes, this is a big change, I think, across childcare. It's not going to happen in one Budget. It's going to have to be rolled over across a number of Budgets, but I would hope to be in the position to do something in this year's Budget, but obviously that's in the context of future negotiations. Go ahead, Margaret. Actually, on that note, I will take the opportunity to say I really do hope there will be something in the Budget, because I did notice last year, you know, childcare early years was, I think, very much forgotten, particularly the workers in the Budget, so I welcome if there is going to be moves to include it. And I don't think anyone is expecting all this to be done overnight or done in one go, but, you know, if you want trust in the sector, you have to show that you are actually doing something, so I do think it would be welcome to have some sort of moves in this Budget. And I suppose just to make the point, and I know so many of us know this already, but the fees are so high in so many areas, probably particularly in Dublin, but throughout everywhere, even in my own constituency, in Carl O'Kilkenny, fees are going up, and it is, you know, such an issue, and I know I tend to focus on the impact on women, but I don't make an apology for that, because, you know, there's not enough of us in here, and we need to make sure our voices are heard. And, you know, again, it's women that often get affected by the fact that they can't afford the childcare, or you're going back part-time, or you're going back, you know, kind of potentially affecting opportunities for your own career, and affecting your pension, and all of those things. Thank you, Deputy. Thanks. Minister. Deputy, I suppose we discussed in terms of our investment in childcare last year, and whereas the budget line in terms of what comes directly from my department didn't change, we've had enormous investment into the childcare, into the early-year sector in terms of the EWSS, since initially with the specific scheme designed for the childcare sector, but since November of last year in terms of the EWSS, we've had millions every month going into the childcare sector, which has kept services open, which has kept, even though the increased pod system means that the staff-child ratio has had to be increased. And I know in talking to childcare providers, they've recognised that not only have they kept their service open, not only have they been able to, I suppose, meet the public health requirements of pods, but they've actually been able to take on more staff, have maybe a floating member of staff, who can actually give additional support to children. So I think it is important if we're going to say the budget line in my department didn't change, a huge amount of investment came from the Exchequer in terms of the EWSS. Thank you. Thank you.