Ms Teresa Heeney:

I thank the Senator for her questions on what kind of inspections would be appropriate. A fundamental principle is at play here, which is that as a State we have a responsibility to inspect these settings. This is not because money is changing hands because it is not yet in most settings. More money should be changing hands via the national childcare scheme. The introduction of inspection regimes will facilitate that and it is in the best interest of children and families. To have an inspection regime is absolutely a requirement the State must deliver on and I really welcome the fact that we are having that conversation today. I just want to confirm that.

As to the level of the inspection regime, while I do not like the phrase "light touch" because it is synonymous with bad times in the very recent past in this country, the regime does need to be negotiated and discussed with people who work in this field. At the very minimum, we want to build on what it is about the childminding setting that parents are choosing. They are choosing a home-based setting, so absolutely we do not want to close a kitchen or garden. Those are the things parents are choosing and what they enjoy about using a childminding home, so we need to make sure they are retained. However, we must make sure that places are safe, the food children get is nutritious and there are no fire issues, for example. The fundamentals of a safe location, to begin with, are important. I will not go into the issue but the national childcare scheme, in our view, needs to be available to all families who are using childminders. We need to build on the national childcare scheme because it does afford us an opportunity to develop a model of support in order to deliver a more affordable childcare system in this country.