Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the €1.5 million allocated to the training fund, I concur with the Minister that a large number of child care staff need basic training and require FETAC level 5 and 6 qualifications. However, some service providers who have acquired this basic level of training need to obtain other qualifications that are critical to the management and operation of services. The Minister may recall a "Prime Time Investigates" exposé of certain child care practices which found serious management weaknesses in one of the offending service providers, notwithstanding that staff were fully trained to FETAC level 5 and 6 standards. The weaknesses in some services are not confined to a basic level. We should ensure a broader spectrum of training is available.