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The Cabinet today approved a number of legislative proposals brought forward by Children & Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald which will strengthen the the registration, regulation and enforcement of pre-school services.

The draft legislation approved today is part of a Pre-School Quality Agenda involving a range of actions in eight key areas, aimed at improving quality within early years services and enhancing the regulatory regime.

This legislation will provide a statutory basis for registration of pre-school services and will introduce a range of new enforcement powers for Inspectors at pre-prosecution level. Under the proposed new system, all pre-school services will have to be registered in order to operate. Inspectors will be empowered to specify improvement conditions that a service must comply with; and the threat of removal of registration will be available.

The draft legislation also gives the Minister the power to set qualification levels for the first time for the early years sector. The legislation will also allow school age childcare to be regulated for the first time.

The Minister plans to bring the draft amendments before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children next week.