merrion street

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald today addressed Seanad Éireann on work underway on the pre-school quality agenda.

She told Senators that she found the scenes which were broadcast on Tuesday night's RTE programme distressing, shocking and absolutely unacceptable and that the matters addressed in the programme deserve and demand a comprehensive response. With respect to the commercial childcare chains, she said she has asked the HSE to conduct an analysis of inspection reports carried out to date. The Minister added:

We must learn the lessons of past inspections and we also need more robust follow-through on inspection findings.

She said she would change the law to strengthen sanctions on foot of successful prosecutions of non-compliant providers. The Minister also told Senators that the HSE is currently logging all prosecutions with a view to making this information available to parents in an accessible manner.

The Minister confirmed that the contract for the free pre-school year allows for funding will be suspended or terminated for serious non-compliance with childcare standards.

She said the preparation of Ireland’s first-ever Early Years Strategy is at an advanced stage ahead of publication in coming months. In tandem with work on the Strategy, work has also been underway on a pre-school quality agenda.

The Minister concluded:

We are working to develop a more comprehensive and broader-based inspection regime for pre-schools; moving away from a narrow focus on compliance only, to a greater focus on children’s outcomes, including educational development and child wellbeing.