Ms Bernie McNally:

For example, when the ECCE scheme was introduced, although legally it was not a requirement to have a qualification, we built into the contracts that staff must have a QQI level six qualification to be a room leader. We try to leverage quality in the contracts all of the time. We do so incrementally, as we did with school-age childcare because it was totally unregulated. In the past, such services could have 25 children in a room if they chose. That is why we introduced the regulation of one to 12 which gives them a reasonable profit margin and, yet, is good for children.