16. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress being made to increase the number of newly qualified childcare professionals, in order to adequately staff childcare services throughout Carlow and Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47403/26]

The role of the early years educator and school-age childcare practitioner are valuable ones. They play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care.

The 2025 Annual Early Years Sector Profile data shows that in Carlow and Kilkenny the number of early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners working with children increased by 8% last year while the average turnover in the region fell by approximately 4%. In addition, the data shows that the number of staff with a degree qualification has also increased by over 10% between 2024 and 2025.

I do acknowledge that many early learning and care and school-age childcare services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, these challenges are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by turnover caused in general by low levels of pay.

However, through the work of the independent Joint Labour Committee and three successive Employment Regulation Order, minimum pay rates have now risen three times in four years, delivering an average 15% increase in minimum rates of pay.

The latest Employment Regulation Orders came into effect in October 2025 which saw an increase in minimum pay rates by, on average, 10% which saw an increase in pay for over 67% of staff in the sector.

Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. In this programme year 2025/26, Core Funding has increased by 6% to approximately €350 million with an additional €45 million in ring-fenced funding provided to support services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector.

For Budget 2026, I was successful in securing another allocation of up to €45 million, to support service providers with costs associated with possible future increases in minimum rates of pay negotiated via the independent Joint Labour Committee process.

The wider workforce plan for staff in the sector, Nurturing Skills, aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in the sector and it includes actions to raise the profile of careers in early learning and care and school-age childcare.

An action from the Plan currently under development is a communications campaign which will include a series of videos and information packs aimed at promoting this profession.

The packs will be provided to career guidance counsellors and other key bodies who support individuals in making education and employment decisions, with the aim of raising awareness of career opportunities and pathways within the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector.

To further support staff retention and increase the number of degree level graduates in the sector, the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund was established and enables early years educators who continue to work within the sector to pursue Level 7 and 8 qualifications by funding up to 90% of their tuition costs. Over 700 staff are now supported through the Nurturing Stills Learner Fund.

The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund demonstrates how Government is already delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to ‘remove barriers in education and training for early years educators to broaden access to the profession.