Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Child care and childminding have come very far since I had mine. They all went to community playschool, which at the time was run by local people who had dedication not only to education, but to dealing with children's needs. I was very proud of it and I thought that playschool was a significant part of my children's lives. I will continue to say that.

The delegates have been comprehensive in their contributions and offered very interesting views. I like Ms McCormilla's emphasis on keeping things simple. Too many issues are made unnecessarily uncomplicated, and we might need to turn the clock back in some instances. The delegates are here today because this committee has prioritised the issue of child care provision in its work programme. In the time I have been a member of the committee, we have had many hearings on various issue and produced a number of reports. One such engagement that comes immediately to mind is our discussion on the provisions contained in the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. As a result of the intensive work done in this committee on that legislation, proposals were progressed which will have a major impact on many people's lives. Other reports the committee has produced have likewise assisted in the process of enacting useful legislation. We will continue to engage in that type of work.

In that context, I am very pleased to have the delegates here this morning to discuss these important matters. Even if we each had half an hour to speak, we would not have time to address all the interesting points that were raised. What particularly struck me from Ms Lacey-Crowe's presentation was her indication of the number of stakeholders involved. That is a key issue and relates to Ms McCormilla's point about the importance of keeping it simple. How can we reduce the number of people with their hands in the pot in the context of what should be a simple process? It is an important consideration when it comes to improving child care provision, whether in community crèches, private crèches or for children with intellectual disabilities.

I was very impressed by Ms Bradley's presentation, which was easy to read and understand. What is most impressive, however, is the work she does, including with one of the schools in Clondalkin, through the Central Remedial Clinic. I know several people who are involved in working with the children concerned and am aware of the great work the CRC does.

I do not wish to start an argument with Deputy Troy that might come to blows. I will not seek to rebut some of the points he made because there is not time to do so, but I might point him in the direction of some facts he should look up after the meeting. However, we will not go into that now.

I thank the delegates for their inspiring contributions. Our work begins when they leave. We must carefully go through all the points that were raised with a view to agreeing on simple steps that can be taken to make child care services in this country better for every child.