Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

My questions follow on from those raised by Deputy Ward in regard to consultation. There are 15,000 childminders in this country, which is a huge number of people involved and very disparate and working individually. I am pleased to hear that there are plans for local networks. That will be critical. Of the 15,000 childminders, to date how many have been engaged with? I know there are some representative groups, but I am interested in knowing how many of the 15,000 childminders have been engaged with. I know from my engagement with people that childminders are to become part of a very informal system and that they will be in that system for a few years while their own children and families are at a certain stage in their lives. I would imagine it will be very difficult to get them engaged in a process that they think will be six or seven years away. How many childminders have been engaged with? If the witnesses could elaborate on the plans for that engagement it would be useful.

My next question in regard to the national childcare scheme. Currently, approximately 88,000 children are being cared for by childminders. In terms of cost, has an analysis been done of the additional cost to the national childcare scheme if those children are brought into the net? On resourcing, Tusla has had difficulties with its IT system, as outlined to us during a previous meeting with it. At that time, Tusla was already in a process of redeveloping that system. Is it proposed to undertake advanced development in regard to bringing childminders into the system? We do not want to get to the end of the six or seven-year timeframe and find that the IT system needs to be further developed and thus cause further delay. If that work could be done in parallel it would cheaper and a lot more efficient.