Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and thank Senator van Turnhout for ensuring an early debate. Like everybody else, I was absolutely horrified by the findings in RTE's "Prime Time" programme some nights ago. I am absolutely confident that the Minister will and is continuing to address the many issues that arise in respect of child care.

Given that I was involved with the community child care project in Ballinasloe and had the pleasure of welcoming the Minister to open that fine facility recently, I was very surprised to learn HSE inspections were not happening in the facilities highlighted in the programme. I am aware that our new facility in Ballinasloe has been inspected regularly. This is a matter of quality assurance and inspection. I am sure the Minister will be homing in on these issues very much. It is worth highlighting that when the last Fianna Fáil Government introduced the free preschool year in 2010, which I very much welcomed, not one cent was allocated for quality assurance and inspection. Money could have been allocated at the time. The early child care supplement was abolished, making a net saving of €300 million. If €5 million or €10 million was allocated for inspections and quality assurance, some of the incidents in the programme some nights ago might not have happened. I urge the Minister to ensure that adequate resources are found within her budget for quality assurance and inspection so what we saw some nights ago can never happen again. The training of staff and ensuring that the workforce is fit for purpose are crucial, as previous speakers have said.

I am concerned that corners are being cut by for-profit facilities. This is in stark contrast with what we see in the community crèche facilities. The Minister has considerable work to do but I am confident we have the right person in the job to ensure that every child who is left at a crèche at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. will be in safe hands and receive education and care of the standard we have come to expect and in which the taxpayer is investing. I wish the Minister well in a very challenging Department and congratulate her on the great progress she has made to date.