On childcare and early learning, new regulations are being put in place for home-based care but continued consultation with the providers is essential. There is major frustration among childcare providers who face great financial pressure and bureaucracy. I engage with experienced operators such as Brigid Fleming in Riverchapel and Frances Burke in Arklow and they are not alone as this is a national concern. There is a conveyor belt of passionate, highly qualified staff leaving the sector due to multiple issues, including poor wages and complicated social welfare procedures. They are generally disillusioned with the profession they love. Last week I met a delegation from the Early Days Academy and Imagination Station in Arklow. Emer Kavanagh is highly qualified but she is being paid less now than she was as a lounge girl. This is simply not correct. Why is there such a gap between the pay and conditions of these highly qualified workers and those in mainstream education? These are the very people we trust to care for those who matter most, namely, our children.

I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. There was what was perceived to be a big breakthrough two or three years ago when the then Government allocated substantial funding to enable the first-ever agreement between unions and employers in respect of childcare and a JLC was established. I take Deputy Brennan's overall point. Compared with primary education we are still not anywhere close in terms of comparable pay grades or career pathways in early education. This is not something that can happen overnight but we need to have a fundamental look at it. People are studying and it is a very important area. The child is key in this and any experience for a child in any setting must be developmental and not only involve childminding. We have a distance to go on this. Although real progress was made in the past three years on the pay side, the gaps are still there. There is also the issue of places and freezing fees.